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The Tinley Park Convention Center is now open as a mass coronavirus vaccination site in Illinois, state officials said.
The center, located at 18451 Convention Center Drive, opened Tuesday as the Illinois National Guard’s mass vaccination site in Cook County, according to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
Pritzker, accompanied by Cook County Board Chairman Toni Preckwinkle, visited the new site on Monday, as the state entered Phase 1B of its vaccine rollout, opening doses to millions of residents.
“Widespread vaccination sites will allow us to quickly and efficiently get these doses of life-saving vaccines to the people of Illinois as more federal vaccine shipments come online,” Pritzker said in a statement. “The Illinois National Guard and the Illinois Department of Public Health are proud to partner with Cook County to launch the Tinley Park Convention Center vaccination site – our seventh collaboration in Cook County in as a whole, along with many others across the state. “
Appointments are required, according to the Village of Tinley Park, which said appointments can only be made through state and county websites. They can be scheduled through the newly launched Cook County Vaccines website, or by calling (833) 308-1988.
To find out how to make an appointment or receive information about vaccines in your area, click here.
“This first large site in Southland demonstrates our commitment to distributing vaccines fairly, but we expect demand to quickly outstrip supply,” Israel Rocha, CEO of Cook County Health, said in a statement. to understand that while we are anxious to vaccinate all those who want to be vaccinated, the vaccine supply remains the main limiting factor. We ask the residents of Cook County for their continued patience as we work to establish one of the largest county-run vaccination programs in the country. “
County officials expect to be able to administer up to 3,000 vaccines per day “when the Tinley Park site is fully optimized and a suitable vaccine is available.”
As of Tuesday, seven mass vaccination sites will have opened in suburban Cook County. (Full list of locations here)
The county said it plans to open at least five additional large sites in the suburb in the coming weeks, but these will depend on the availability of vaccines.
Phase 1B, which began on Monday, opened immunizations to people aged 65 and over as well as “essential frontline workers,” which includes first responders, education workers such as teachers and support staff, babysitters, grocery store workers, postal workers and more.
In addition to the Tinley Park site, several Walgreens and Jewel-Osco sites have also started vaccinations or opened appointments for Illinois residents eligible for the Phase 1B vaccine rollout in the state.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched a site for eligible residents to find immunization events and make appointments.
The governor said current vaccination sites in the state are only available by appointment, but the state plans to launch walk-in sites in the coming weeks.
“As the federal vaccine supply grows and Illinois receives more vaccines, the state will launch walk-in sites and expand the sites to other providers such as doctor’s offices and healthcare clinics. emergency, ”the governor’s office said in a statement on Monday. “More information on these sites will be published in the coming weeks.”
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