A new mass vaccination site starting in Des Plaines by the weekend, becoming the first large-scale facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois, began making appointments Thursday afternoon.
The Cook County Department of Health will launch its fourth large-scale vaccination site at 1155 E. Oakton St. in Des Plaines on Friday or Saturday, pending the vaccination of the vaccine, according to a release.
Residents can start making the necessary appointments at the new location on Thursday at 13:00. Appointments can be made from 07:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
Click here to see how to sign up for a COVID vaccine appointment.
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 is the first large-scale facility in the entire country to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19 and the provision of all three FDA-approved vaccines ensures that our residents get every vaccine option currently available,” said Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle. ‘The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in protecting people from serious illness and death. The fact that it is a single-dose vaccine is exciting because it enables people to protect themselves in just one visit. ”
The health department said Wednesday that more than 18,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will arrive in Cook County on Thursday.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccines began Monday, with Chicago and Illinois receiving an estimated dose of more than 100,000 by the end of the week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said doses are expected across the state, with about 22,000 in Chicago and another 83,000 in the remaining regions.
More than 90% of the newly authorized vaccine will go to mass vaccination sites across the country, with the remaining doses being sent to other providers, officials said. IDPH noted that the total doses do not include the doses going to Chicago, which will receive its own award.
In addition to the Des Plaines appointments, more than 100,000 appointments for the elderly also opened Thursday morning for the upcoming United Center, with plans to begin vaccinations next week.
Illinois announced the launch of the Des Plaines website Wednesday, along with another location that will begin in Quincy.
‘With our new operations in Des Plaines and Quincy, Illinois now operates 18 state-sponsored mass vaccination sites, in addition to the network of more than 800 vaccination sites across the state, all trained on one goal: to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, “Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement. ‘One in six Illinois residents has already received their first dose of vaccine, and as the federal government raises Illinois’ delivery to more than 100,000 a day later this month, IDPH and our 97 local health departments are ready to meet. Meanwhile, I encourage all Illinois residents to wear their masks and be vigilant as we penetrate to the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. ”