New Mass Vaccination Site Opens At South Suburban College

SOUTH HOLLAND, IL — A new COVID-19 vaccination site opened at South Suburban College, located within the Village of South Holland, IL, on Thursday. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was joined by Israel Rocha Jr., CEO of Cook County Health, local elected officials and the Illinois National Guard to tour and speak Thursday afternoon.

"Just yesterday we were able to launch another site dedicated to production, teachers and school staff," Preckwinkle said. "I'm grateful to Governor Pritzker for his support in the deployment of the Illinois National Guard. There's no way that we could stand up these mass vaccination sites without the guard."

The site has been a COVID-19 testing location for months, and will continue to be one through May, Preckwinkle confirmed Thursday.

In Illinois, beginning Feb. 25, those as young as 16-years-old with high-risk health conditions such as diabetes or cancer, will be eligible for the shot.

However, Preckwinkle said that Chicago and Cook County is not expanding its Phase 1B eligibility just yet.

"While other parts of the state may be ready to move into the next phase, Chicago and Cook County are not," Preckwinkle said Thursday. "Cook County Health has administered nearly 60,000-plus doses, and it's only a fraction of what we need to get through phase 1B. We are equally as frustrated as the community with the lack of vaccine, but we'll continue to stand up sites, to be able to immediately respond when there's more vaccine available."

Preckwinkle added, "Expansion to a larger group at this time is simply not fair to those who are prioritized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At this time we simply can't even predict, we'll be ready to go beyond those 65 or older, and essential frontline staff. We remain committed to providing vaccines to as many individuals in Cook County as we possibly can. Again, we ask for your patience."

Appointments to get the shot can be made on the Cook County Department of Public Health website, for people who fall in the 1A and 1B vaccination group. Those who need help scheduling an appointment can call 833-308-1988, 7 a.m to 7 p.m., Monday-Friday.Learn more on the Cook County Department of Public Health website, here.

South Suburban College is located at 15800 State St, South Holland, IL.