The next phase means that everyone over the age of 65 and a larger group of essential workers are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. The group includes people in correctional facilities, grocery stores, day care workers and educators.
While this is cause for some celebration, there is still concern about the speed with which shots can be given.
Where can you be vaccinated?
If you are in one of these groups, there are four places that are eligible for residents.
The majority will go through their healthcare provider, while others will have to go through pharmacies, mass vaccination sites or through their employer.
However, before going to any of these places, officials warn that vaccines will only be by appointment.
“Do not try to stop by your local store or call your local pharmacy. If we have a steady stream of vaccine coming from the federal government, we will walk in places and walk through it all day,” he said. Governor JB Pritzker said Friday.
CLICK HERE: Coronavirus Illinois: COVID Vaccine Distribution by Country, Region
Officials said people can expect it to take time before you can even make an appointment because there simply is not enough vaccine to meet the demand.
“There are 3.2 million Illinoisians in Phase 1B, so there will be a much greater demand than supply, at least in the short term,” Governor Pritzker added.
Supply vs demand
The lack of supplies has an impact on the city and state levels.
So far, Illinois has reported that more than 680,000 vaccines have been administered so far.
State health officials are already building up the capacity so that 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 busy, because if the trust factor is not with the community and our government officials, it’s not going to work,” said Little Rangel resident Juan Rangel.
The Equitable Vaccines Coalition is a growing group of educators, leaders of community-based organizations and facility operators. On Sunday, they called for an accelerated process to get vaccines to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.
“We’re all here to make sure all hands are on deck at the moment, to make sure that when the vaccines come, we can use the vaccines to put in people’s arms,” said Dr. Tariq Butt told the Chicago Medical Society.
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“What better way to bring communities together; schools based on faith – this is absolutely an essential way of trying to reach the community in the most confidential way,” said Lisa Hernandez, (D) 24th District.
Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for the vaccine yet, as a few things still need to be done before those who are currently eligible can get their first chance.
State health authorities are asking for patience as there are currently not enough vaccines.
President Biden is now trying to address this by increasing production with a new goal of getting 100 million people vaccinated in the first 100 days of his government. However, some doctors have said that we should be able to go beyond that.
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“It’s a floor, it’s not a ceiling. It’s also a purpose that reflects the reality of what we are facing,” said Dr. Vivek Murthy, pres. Biden’s nominee as surgeon general.
The city and state are expected to provide more details on where to sign up for the vaccine in the coming days.
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