Community Corner

Where To Sign Up For The Coronavirus Vaccine In Illinois

An updated list of who is eligible for the vaccine and where to register. All vaccines are free, even without insurance.

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The Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, left, winces as he receives the first of the two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020.
The Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, left, winces as he receives the first of the two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccinations Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo)

ILLINOIS — With vaccine eligibility expanding across the state and more mass vaccination sites opening every day, the true end of the pandemic finally appears in sight. Though the rollout started slowly, with winter weather delaying shipments and frustrations mounting in the face of limited supply, that seems to be changing.

Cook County health officials announced March 15 that people aged 16 to 64 with risk factors such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other medical conditions can now get a potentially life-saving shot anywhere in the suburbs.

Meanwhile, Gov J.B. Pritzker said this week the state would open vaccine appointments to all residents 16 and older on April 12. Starting Monday, the state will also expand Phase 1b plus to higher education staff, government workers and members of the media, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday. On March 29, the state will add restaurant staff, construction workers and religious leaders to the list.

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Chicago, going its own way, is skipping Phase 1b plus and will expand eligibility to all essential workers, including retail staff, as part of Phase 1c on March 29. The state's expansion to more workers is essentially the same as the previously announced Phase 1c, though the state seems to have abandoned that terminology and shifted timelines.

“From the very beginning of our COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Illinois has ensured our most vulnerable residents receive first access to these life-saving doses, from our healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff, to our 65 and over population and those living with pre-existing conditions, to frontline essential workers who are more exposed to COVID-19 at their workplaces,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Before Illinois expands eligibility to all residents 16 years and older on April 12, I’m proud to announce expanded eligibility for additional groups of more vulnerable populations. With weekly shipments to Illinois surpassing one million doses in April, we are on track to save lives and bring this pandemic to an end.”

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New mass vaccination sites, such as those at South Suburban College, Tinley Park Convention Center, Triton College and the former Des Plaines K-Mart should make getting the shot easier in the coming days and weeks.

Upon taking office in January, President Joe Biden promised to get 100 million shots into Americans' arms in his first 100 days in office. The country was set to pass that number on Friday, Biden's 58th day in office.

In March, Biden called on states to make the vaccine available to all adults by May 1, and predicted there would be enough shots for anyone who wanted one by that same month.

According to the CDC, more than 115 million Americans have received at least a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines, and about 40 million have been fully vaccinated with either two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

That's in addition to hundreds of thousands of people all around the world who took part in safety trials. Experts say the vaccines are some of the safest and most effective ever developed and will save hundreds of thousands of lives — but only if enough people take it.

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If you want to sign up for a shot in Illinois, the first step is determining if you are eligible.

Who is eligible?

Phase 1a (statewide)

  • Health care workers
  • Residents and staff in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities

Phase 1b (statewide)

  • Anyone age 65 or older
  • Frontline essential workers, including:
    • first reponders (fire, law enforcement, 911 workers, security personnel, school officers)
    • Education (teachers, school administrators and other school support staff, day care workers)
    • Food and agriculture (workers in processing plants, veterinary health, livestock services and animal care)
    • Manufacturing (Workers involved in the industrial production of goods)
    • Corrections workers and prisoners (correctional officers and prison staff, incarcerated individuals)
    • U.S. Postal Service workers
    • Public transit workers (flight crew, bus drivers, train conductors, taxi drivers, para-transit drivers, in-person support, ride-sharing service drivers)
    • Grocery store workers (baggers, cashiers, stockers, pickup and customer service personnel)
    • Shelter and adult day care staff (Workers in homeless shelters, women's shelters, adult day/drop-in programs and sheltered workshops)

Phase 1b plus (except in Chicago)

  • Anyone with a medical condition that puts them at increased risk for the coronavirus disease, including:
    • Obesity
    • Diabetes
    • Pulmonary diseases
    • Smoking
    • Heart conditions
    • Chronic kidney disease
    • Cancer
    • Solid Organ Transplant
    • Sickle Cell Disease
    • Pregnancy
    • Any physical, developmental, visual, hearing or mental disability not covered in previous categories
  • Higher education faculty and staff (starting March 22)
  • Government workers (starting March 22)
  • Media (starting March 22)
  • Restaurant staff (starting March 29)
  • Construction and trade workers (starting March 29)
  • Religious leaders (starting March 29)

Phase 1c (starting March 29 in Chicago, but the rest of Illinois is skipping this phase)

All essential workers, including:

  • Clergy and staff for religious organizations
  • Employees of banks, credit unions, title companies, and other financial services workers
  • Restaurant and bar workers
  • Faculty and staff of colleges, universities, tech schools, trade schools and other higher education workers
  • Information technology workers
  • Judges, lawyers, paralegals, legal assistants, bail bond agents, parole and probation officers and other legal workers
  • Journalists, broadcasters, book publishers, librarians, and other media workers
  • Personal care and hygiene workers
  • Public safety workers, including civil engineers, chemical engineers, aerospace engineers, road workers, longshoremen and cybersecurity workers
  • Retail workers
  • Hotel and motel workers, real estate agents, construction and maintenance workers
  • Gas station workers, bike supply and repair workers, delivery drivers, couriers, warehouse workers, mail carriers, bus drivers and other transportation and logistics workers
  • Wastewater treatment workers, sanitary and storm maintenance crews

Phase 2 (Starting April 12 in most of Illinois and expected to start May 1 in Chicago)

  • Everyone age 16 and older

Where to sign up?

If you're eligible for the vaccine, your options include signing up through a local pharmacy or hospital, a mass vaccination site or your county health department. Most pharmacies are following the state's expanded eligibility criteria, while county-run points of distribution (called PODs) seem to be waiting until vaccine supplies increase.

Officials said there are no remaining appointments at the United Center for individuals outside the City of Chicago.

Pharmacies offering the vaccine include:

If pharmacy appointments are booked, your next best bet is signing up through one of the county health departments, local hospitals, or National Guard-run mass vaccination sites listed below:

Rural Vaccination Pilot Program dates:

Officials say to bring documentation that shows you are eligible, such as state ID and employee verification — a work ID or badge, a paycheck stub, CityKey card or a letter from your employer. Providers will not ask about immigration status.

How do the vaccines work, and are they safe?

The two leading coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are both mRNA vaccines. Unlike traditional flu vaccines, they don't contain any of the virus itself, but rather use messenger RNA — a cousin to DNA — to teach your body to produce the spike protein the coronaivirus uses to penetrate cells. Your body then mounts an immune response against that protein, and when the real virus shows up, it knows how to fight it.

Both are around 95 percent effective at preventing illness but nearly 100 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations or deaths. Both require two shots, about a month apart, to reach full efficacy, though studies suggest a single shot may offer some protection.

A single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson recently approved by the FDA works more like a traditional flu vaccine. J&J's shot contains a dead piece of the coronavirus, which stimulates an immune response inside the body. While it is less effective at preventing illness than the Pfizer and Moderna variants — about 66 percent effective, the drugmaker says — it is just as effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths, only requires one dose, and is much easier to store.

All the vaccines have been through multi-phase clinical trials with more than 30,000 participants, and the FDA says they are safe. That doesn't mean there won't be any side effects — the most common being soreness at the injection site, fatigue, fever, chills and headache. But officials say the side effects are short-lived, comparable to those experienced with the Shingles vaccine or seasonal flu shot, and much better than actually catching the coronavirus.

If you are pregnant or have had allergic reactions to vaccines in the past, you should talk to your doctor before signing up for a vaccine. Officials say everyone else should get a vaccine as soon as they are able, both to keep from getting sick themselves and to stop the spread of the virus to friends, family and neighbors.

All vaccines are free to the public, with or without health insurance.

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Related:Illinois COVID-19 Vaccine Information

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