First Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Site Opens In Tinley Park
TINLEY PARK, IL — The Cook County Department of Public Health opened the first of five mass vaccination sites in suburban Cook County at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive. The county’s website and toll-free number are now up and running where residents age 65 and older, as well as first responders and essential workers, such as teachers and grocery store workers, can make an appointment to receive the vaccine.
Residents in the 1b category can jump on the Community Vaccination Program website to see if they qualify to receive the vaccine at this time, make an appointmebnt, get information and register for future notifications when the vaccine becomes available for other population groups.
Over 3.2 million Illinoisans are eligible for Phase 1B of vaccine distribution. Eligible residents, including everyone over age 65 and frontline essential workers, will be able to receive a vaccine at one of the Illinois National Guard assisted sites, at a site operated by a local health department, or at a partner pharmacy.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other elected officials toured the mass vaccination site in the convention center on Monday morning. Shots will be administered by the Illinois National Guard. About 9,000 vaccines will be dispensed weekly, and up to 18,000 doses per week once the federal government ramps up vaccine distribution.
The governor said about three-quarter of a million doses have been administered so far in Illinois, with only about 120,000 first doses arriving this week in Illinois outside of Chicago. Due to the limited supply, vaccinations are being given by appointment only, with more slots being added each week as more vaccine becomes available.
Every state in the nation is experiencing this same shortage, Pritzker said. “It’s another exmple of the Trump Administration’s tragic incompetence that they didn’t invoke the defense production act and didn’t order more vaccine from the manufacturers.”
Pritzer added that his team has had conversations with the Biden Administration and the new president had “already taken steps to expand vaccine manufacturing. In the meantime Illinois has already taken steps necessary to be ready with sites like Tinley Park to vaccinate more as expanded shipments arrive.”
Over 600,000 residents in suburban Cook County are eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1B. Preckwinkle asked for residents’ patience because the county does not have an adequate supply to vaccinate everyone immediately.
“While we’re excited to be taking these steps I want to make sure that we set clear expectations at this moment, not just here but across the country,” Preckwinkle said, “Demand is heavily outweighing our supply of the vaccines.”
As the federal supply of vaccines increases and Illinois receives more vaccines, the state will launch walk-in locations and expand sites to additional providers like doctor's offices and urgent care clinics. More information about those locations will be released in the coming weeks.
Walgreens, Jewel-Osco and Walmart pharmacies are already making appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine for eligible residents. Illinois residents can search by city name or Zip Code on the Illinois Department of Public Health to find a vaccine location near them.
CVS, Hy-Vee, Mariano’s and Kroger stores are also in sync to start administering the vaccine when more supplies are available.
There is also a toll-free hotline residents can call to receive vaccine information or to make an appointment, at 833-308-1988, which will be staffed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents are asked to help older family members or neighbors who may not be tech-savvy get signed up.
This article originally appeared on the Tinley Park Patch