Phase 1c Set For March 29 In Chicago Depending On Vaccine Supply

CHICAGO — Phase 1c of vaccine distribution is on track to begin March 29 in Chicago. Officials said more vaccine would soon be available, thanks in part to the recent approval of a third candidate from Johnson & Johnson, and that timeline could change as supply increases.

Last month, the state began vaccinating those under 65 years of age with underlying health conditions in "Phase 1b Plus," but the city did not follow suit, citing a lack of doses to go around.

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said the city still does not have enough vaccine for everyone that wants it, but that is improving, and the recently launched mass vaccination site at the United Center will be a "major improvement in terms of our ability to get vaccine first to seniors."

RELATED: Chicago's United Center Will Open For Mass Vaccinations March 10

Arwady said about 283 new cases are being diagnosed in the city every day, and the test positivity is 2.9 percent, "the lowest it has ever been since COVID got to Chicago." During the peak, the test positivity rate was 16 percent.

Dropping case numbers and positivity rates put the city in lower risk categories based on the state's reopening criteria, she added. But five to six Chicagoans are still dying every day from the virus.

The city has now administered more than 630,000 doses of the vaccine, and about one in eight Chicago residents has received at least a first dose. One in three residents over the age of 65 have had at least one shot.

"More than 110,000 United Center appointments in March will open for booking on Thursday, March 4, at 8:30 a.m.," Arwady said. The appointments can be booked for seniors starting Thursday, and unfilled appointments will open to those under 65 starting Thursday.

Register for an appointment at the United Center online at zocdoc.com/vaccine or by phone at 312-746-4835, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

RELATED: 110K United Center Vaccination Appointments To Open For Seniors

Right now, Phase 1c is expected to begin March 29, with Phase 2 (which includes everyone over 16 years of age) starting May 31.

"It may be sooner than expected, but that timeline that we laid out actually continues to look pretty consistent with our numbers," Arwady said.

"We'll make adjustments to that as we always have, as we see how vaccine doses come in. But honestly, the way they've been coming in is about how I've expected them to come in. March is going to look a lot better than February did related to vaccine. And I think April is going to look a lot better than March."