Vaccination Site Opens In North Chicago For Local Seniors

NORTH CHICAGO, IL — A temporary COVID-19 vaccination clinic opened Monday at the Lake County Forest Preserve's Greenbelt Cultural Center in North Chicago. The distribution site is expected to more than 5,000 eligible seniors over the next two months.

North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham said the site was the result of a "remarkable" partnership between city officials, local pharmaceutical company AbbVie, the nonprofit group North Chicago Community Partners and the Lake County Health Department.

“Our seniors are the most vulnerable to this devastating virus," Rockingham said. "I am grateful to see the COVID vaccinations offered to them with easy access right in their community.”

Residents of Waukegan and North Chicago aged 65 or older can make an appointment at the 1215 Green Bay Road facility by emailing their full name, phone number and birthdate to vaccine@northchicagocommunitypartners.org or by calling 847-582-1362. Appointments are required.

“Providing safe and effective vaccines to our seniors in North Chicago is a priority, and community-based clinics like these are critical to help put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. “We appreciate the collaboration with our partners in supporting our residents in this important vaccination effort.”

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, who visited the site Monday, said the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month would provide funding to help communities across Lake and Cook counties distribute vaccine more quickly.

“Many constituents are understandably anxious about when and how they can get their shot," Schneider said. "We are seeing slow but steady progress as vaccine numbers continue to rise, though there are gaps, bottlenecks and other challenges that need to be addressed."

The North Chicago site targets underserved communities that have been particularly hard-hit during the pandemic. Residents of the city's 60064 ZIP code have had the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in the county, followed by Waukegan's 60085 and 60087 ZIP codes, according to health department data.

As of Tuesday, about 64,900 Lake County residents had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. And more than 16,500 people have been fully vaccinated — 2.36 percent of the county's approximately 700,000 residents, according to state public health officials. More than 25 percent of Lake County senior citizens have received doses, compared to less than 8.5 percent of those under age 65.

Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows 69 percent of doses given to county residents were administered to non-Hispanic white people, compared to 8 percent to Latino residents, 7 percent to Asian residents and 2.7 percent to Black residents — although, according to Census estimates, Black residents make up 7.5 percent of the county's population.