A new mass vaccination site is set to open in Des Plaines by this weekend, becoming the first large-scale facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois.
Cook County Health Department will open its fourth large-scale vaccination site at 1155 E. Oakton St. from Des Plaines either Friday or Saturday, pending the arrival of the vaccine, according to a statement.
Residents could start the necessary appointments in the new location, on Thursday, at 13:00. Appointments can be made from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
To see how you can sign up for a COVID vaccine meeting in Illinois, click here.
Cook County officials said they expect to deliver nearly 3,500 doses a day once the vaccination site is “fully optimized” and the vaccine is available. Officials noted that the Des Planes site will be the first large-scale statewide facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19, and offering all three FDA-approved vaccines ensures that our residents are offered every vaccine option currently available,” said Cook County Council President Toni Preckwinkle. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in protecting people from severe illness and death. The fact that it is a single dose vaccine is interesting because it allows people to protect themselves in a single visit. ”
More than 18,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine are due to arrive in Cook County on Thursday, Wedneday’s health department said.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine shipments began Monday, with Chicago and Illinois expecting to receive an estimated dose of more than 100,000 by the end of the week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said doses are expected statewide, with about 22,000 planned for Chicago and another 83,000 for the remaining regions.
More than 90 percent of the newly authorized vaccine will go to mass vaccination points across the state, with the remaining doses shipped to other providers, officials said. IDPH noted that the total doses do not include those going to Chicago, which will receive its own allocation.
In addition to the Des Plaines appointments, more than 100,000 senior appointments opened Thursday morning for the future United Center, with plans to begin vaccinations next week.
Illinois announced the launch of the Des Plaines site Wednesday, along with another location to open in Quincy.
“With our new operations in Des Plaines and Quincy, Illinois, we now operate 18 state-supported mass vaccination sites, in addition to the network of more than 800 vaccination sites across the country, all trained for one purpose: vaccinating as many people as possible, as soon as possible, “Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement. “One in six in Illinois has already received the first dose of vaccine, and as the federal government increases deliveries in Illinois to more than 100,000 a day later this month, IDPH and the 97 local health departments are ready to deliver.” In the meantime, I encourage all Illinois residents to wear masks and remain vigilant as we move to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. ”