Illinois vaccine: IL enters new phase of COVID-19 vaccination on Monday

CHICAGO (WLS) – With Illinois launching Phase 1B vaccinations on Monday, further action is being taken in hopes of increasing vaccine distribution as the country lags behind targets set by the Trump administration .

The next phase means anyone over 65 and a larger group of essential workers will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This group includes people in correctional facilities, grocery store workers, daycares and educators.

While this is cause for celebration, there are always concerns about how quickly the punches can be delivered.

Where can you get vaccinated?

If you are in one of these groups, there are four places eligible residents can get vaccinated.

The majority will go through their health care provider, while others will have to go through pharmacies, mass vaccination sites or their employer.

However, before you go to any of these locations, officials warn that vaccines will be by appointment only.

“Don’t try to line up at your local store or call your local pharmacy. When we receive a constant flow of vaccine from the federal government, we will initiate round-the-clock site visits and operations, ”Governor JB Pritzker said. said Friday.

CLICK HERE: Coronavirus Illinois: COVID vaccine distribution by county, region

Officials said people can expect it to take a while before you can even get an appointment because there just isn’t enough vaccine to meet demand.

“There are 3.2 million Illinois 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 supplies impacts both city and state levels.

So far, Illinois reports that more than 680,000 vaccines have been administered to date.

State health officials are already building capacity so that as soon as more vaccines arrive, they will be ready. This includes creating a website to register for appointments.

Vaccine Finder Website

“We have to make sure that the community is engaged because at the end of the day if the trust factor isn’t there with the community and our officials, it won’t work,” said Juan Rangel, a resident of Little. Town.

The Equitable Vaccines Coalition is a growing group of educators, leaders of community organizations and facility operators. On Sunday, they called for a fast-track process to get vaccines in communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

“We have everyone here to make sure everyone is on deck right now, to make sure that when the vaccines come in, we’ll be able to 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 in community, faith-based schools – absolutely, it’s a critical way to try to reach community in the most confident way,” said Rep Lisa Hernandez, ( D) 24th district.

Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for the vaccine yet, as there are still a few things to do before those who are currently eligible can get their first vaccine.

State health authorities are asking for patience as there are not enough vaccines at present.

President Biden is now trying to remedy that by ramping up production with a new goal of getting 100 million people vaccinated in the first 100 days of his administration. However, some doctors have said that we should be able to go further.

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“It’s a floor, it’s not a ceiling. It is also a goal that reflects the reality of what we are facing, ”said Dr Vivek Murthy, President. Biden’s candidate for surgeon general.

The city and state are expected to provide more details on where to register for the vaccine in the coming days.