COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Available For Lake County Residents

WAUKEGAN, IL — Lake County residents can begin registering to be notified when a coronavirus vaccine is available for them.

The Lake County Health Department has created a new online portal allowing residents to register themselves and members of their households to receive the vaccine once they qualify, the department announced Wednesday.

"This is an exciting moment in science and an important step toward ending the COVID-19 pandemic, which has come at great cost to public health, our healthcare systems, and our economy,” Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said in a statement.

The Lake County AllVax Portal asks residents to answer a few screening questions to register to be ready when they qualify to receive a vaccine, which is expected to be in limited supply for months.

“The Lake County AllVax Portal gives us the opportunity to protect the health of our community by getting the right people the vaccination at the right time,” said Jefferson McMillan-Wilhoit, director of health informatics and technology at the health department. “This portal is a huge advance in being able to reduce infections and restore our communities, and we encourage all residents to do their part — get registered on the portal and get vaccinated.”

Registered residents can also schedule an appointment to receive the jab through local clinics or health department facilities once a vaccine is available.

Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is being handled by local health departments according to priorities developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on recommendations from its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.

The first phase of the U.S. mass vaccination program, dubbed Phase 1a, will include vaccinations for health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. That includes about 24 million people, according to ACIP's recommendation.

Phase 1b is expected to include first responders and essential infrastructure workers, with Phase 1c made up of senior citizens and adults with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

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According to the Lake County Health Department, preregistration through the online portal is not a requirement to receive a vaccine, as some walk-in appointments will be available every day. However, public health officials recommended registration to schedule an appointment to ensure there is adequate supply of vaccines.

The health department's goal is to eventually distribute vaccines to 80 percent of Lake County residents — about 560,000 people.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could approve a vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech as soon as Thursday. The United Kingdom launched a mass vaccination program Tuesday, while Canadian health authorities approved the vaccine Wednesday. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinois has its own independent team of scientists reviewing the data to ensure the vaccine's safety.

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In Illinois, the first vaccines will be distributed in the state's 50 counties with the highest per capita death rates, according to Pritzker's office. The first approximately 109,000 doses, which could be delivered as soon as next week, will be stored at 10 regional hospital coordinating centers.

In Lake County, Highland Park Hospital, part of NorthShore University HealthSystem, is set to receive 27,300 doses, the largest single number of any coordinating center for distribution.

Pfister emphasized that public health officials would make sure new vaccines are safe before injecting them into people.

“We want to assure our residents that their safety is our top priority,” the health department director said. “The COVID-19 vaccines that will be available soon have gone through extensive clinical trials. The trial results indicate remarkable effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 with low risk of serious side effects."

Residents may register online through the AllVax Portal or by phone by calling 847-377-8130.