The next phase means that anyone over the age of 65 and a larger group of essential workers will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This group includes people in correctional facilities, food store workers, kindergarten workers and educators.
Although this is the reason for some holidays, there are still concerns about the speed with which photos can be taken.
Where can you get vaccinated?
If you are in any of these groups, there are four places where eligible residents can be vaccinated.
Most will go through their healthcare provider, while others will have to go through pharmacies, mass vaccination sites or their employer.
However, before heading to any of these locations, officials warn that vaccines will only be on schedule.
“Don’t try to line up at the local store or call your local pharmacy. When we receive a steady stream of vaccines from the federal government, we will launch walks in locations and non-stop operations,” Governor JB Pritzker said Friday.
CLICK HERE: Coronavirus Illinois: Distribution of COVID vaccine by county, region
Officials said people can expect to wait some time before they can even get a meeting because there is simply not enough vaccine to meet demand.
“There are 3.2 million Illinoisans in Phase 1B, so there will be much more demand than supply for at least the short term,” Governor Pritzker added.
Supply vs. Demand
Lack of supply has an impact at both city and state level.
To date, Illinois reports that more than 680,000 vaccines have been administered so far.
State health officials are already developing their capacity, so as soon as more vaccine arrives, they will be ready. This includes creating a website to sign up for appointments.
Vaccine Finder website
“We need to make sure the community is engaged, because in the end, if the trust factor doesn’t exist in the community and in our government officials, it won’t work,” said Little Village resident Juan Rangel.
The Coalition for Fair Vaccines is a growing group of educators, leaders of community organizations and facility operators. On Sunday, they called for an accelerated process to obtain vaccines to the communities most affected by the pandemic.
“We have everyone here to make sure all the hands on the deck are right now, to make sure that when the vaccines come in, we can use those vaccines to put them in people’s arms,” said Dr. Tariq. Butt of the Chicago Medical Society.
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“What better way than to bring the community; faith-based, schools – absolutely, this is an essential way to try to reach the community in the most confident way,” said Lisa Hernandez, (D) District 24 .
Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for the vaccine yet, as there are still a few things that need to be done before those who are currently eligible can receive the first shot.
State health authorities are asking for patience because there are not enough vaccines at the moment.
President Biden is now trying to address this by stepping up production with a new goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days of administration. However, some doctors have said that we should be able to go beyond that.
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“This is a floor, not a ceiling. It is also a goal that reflects the reality of what we are facing,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, Pres. Biden’s nominal for the general surgeon.
Both the city and the state are expected to provide more details on where to sign up for the vaccine in the coming days.
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