Lake County Prepares For Next Phase Of Coronavirus Vaccine Plan

WAUKEGAN, IL — Lake County Health Department officials announced plans to continue vaccinating health care workers at the Lake County Fairgrounds as Illinois moves into the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

With the start of Phase 1b of the state's vaccine plan, local pharmacies, hospitals and health care providers will begin also offering vaccines to everyone aged 65 and over and people considered front-line essential workers.

"We remain committed to getting all frontline healthcare personnel fully vaccinated as quickly as possible to ensure they can continue offering exceptional care and service to our residents during the pandemic," Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said.

As of Friday, more than 18,000 Lake County residents had received a first dose of vaccine and more than 6,393 residents had already received both doses, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

After a week of declines, the seven-day rolling average number of vaccines administered in the county rose Thursday and Friday to 761, its highest level since Jan. 8.

RELATED: Drive-Thru Vaccinations Offered At Lake County Fairgrounds

Anyone who lives or works in Lake County can sign up via the AllVax portal to be notified when the health department has a vaccine available for them. As of earlier this month, about a quarter of the Lake County population had already registered through the portal.

Public health officials strongly encouraged residents included in the first two phases of the vaccine plan to take any opportunity available to them to get a vaccine through a local pharmacy or health care provider. State and county health records will be updated regardless of where a dose is administered, so there is no need for those jabbed elsewhere to update their account.

RELATED: 175,000 Lake County Residents Register For COVID-19 Vaccine

As Phase 1b begins, vaccination clinics are planned for school district staff, among other essential workers. Some districts are partnering with pharmacy retailers like Walgreens to plan on-site clinics. Others are scheduling appointments at health department-run clinics set for Round Lake and Stevenson high schools. No further information about other point of distribution, or POD, clinics was immediately available from a health department representative.

"We thank our local vaccination partners for helping us advance forward into Phase 1b — we are one public health system working toward the same goal, providing safe and effective vaccines to bring an end to this pandemic," Pfister said. "We also thank the public for their patience as we work to provide vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible over the course of the next several months."