Officials Celebrate Closing Mass Vaccine Site In Tinley Park

TINLEY PARK, IL — Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha participated in a walk-through and clap-out to celebrate the last day of vaccinations at Cook County Health’s Tinley Park mass vaccination site on Thursday.

The site was the first mass vaccine spot to open in Illinois, back on Jan. 26. Rocha told Patch the location alone was responsible for about 136,000 inoculations. Preckwinkle spoke to attendees, and thanked the National Guard and Biden Administration.

"This is a momentous occasion. I'm very grateful for everybody who has made this possible," Preckwinkle said. "We could not have done this work without the support of the state, in particular, without the support of our national guard."

The Tinley Park Convention Center — located at 18451 Convention Center Drive — administered its last doses before 11:30 a.m., Thursday. The site formally offered walk-ins and administered Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. In its peak, the center administered around 3,000 vaccines a day, and is also the mass vaccine location that has administered the most doses, Cook County Health representatives told Patch.

On May 23, the site administered 570 doses.

"This site has truly exceeded our expectations," Rocha said. "Across all our sites, we've given over 800,000 vaccines just through our Cook County Health system, and almost double that when you put in the effort of our Cook County Health Department."

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Tinley Park's site isn't the only one to close on Thursday. Preckwinkle told Patch Triton College and South Suburban also closed their doors. This leaves remaining locations in Matteson, Des Plaines and Forest Park. Preckwinkle said these sites are remaining open due to geographic location, in an effort to give even access to all Cook County residents.

Rocha told Patch there are no current plans or discussions regarding the closure of the remaining three mass vaccine sites.

When the sites opened, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Preckwinkle and other elected officials stated that shots would be administered by the Illinois National Guard, with about 9,000 vaccines to be dispensed weekly. Pritzker's initial goal was to administer approximately 18,000 doses per week, once the federal government ramped up vaccine distribution.

Currently, all Cook County residents ages 12 or older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Children under 18 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian upon inoculation. Cook County Health states that vaccinations are free, regardless of insurance or immigration status.

As of Thursday, 9,298,931 doses have been administered in Illinois. Since the start of the pandemic, Cook County has reported 248,680 COVID-19 cases, and 4,383 have died. The county is continuing to see a decrease in case positivity.

Those who received the shot are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving either the two-dose series from Pfizer or Moderna, or the single-shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

See more information about the vaccine, vaccine distribution, places to receive it and find answers to questions on the Cook County Health Website.

See a Facebook Live video of the walkout event here, or below:

Related:

First Mass COVID-19 Vaccination Site Opens In Tinley Park | Tinley Park, IL Patch

Sixth Mass Vaccination Site Opens In Matteson | Oak Forest, IL Patch