Walk Right Up: Rise In Doses Causes Lake Cty Vaccine Site Shift

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Gone are the days of driving through the coronavirus vaccination site at the Lake County fairgrounds. Starting Monday, participants must park and walk up to receive a vaccine.

The county's health department on Monday announced it is making the change in response to an increase in its vaccine supply — up from 1,500 doses a day to at least 2,500.

By removing cars from the equation, the vaccination site will be able to inoculate more participants each day, said Mark Pfister, executive director of the county health department.

“We expect our vaccine supply to continue to increase, and we are eager to get as many residents vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Pfister said in a statement. “Now that the weather is warmer, the transition to walk-through service at the Lake County Fairgrounds enables us to serve more residents each day.”

The site will continue to provide options for people with disabilities, including wheelchairs. People with mobility issues are encouraged to bring a friend or loved with them to the vaccine site.

All three currently approved vaccines against the COVID-19 virus are available at the fairgrounds site and will be dolled out based on availability, officials said.

“The best vaccine to get is the first one available to you,” said Pfister. “All three authorized vaccines are extremely safe and effective. We are in the ‘race to vaccinate’ as cases are again climbing in the United States, and we urge every resident to do their part to protect themselves and others.”