Tinley Convention Center Vaccine Site Administers 7K Doses Week 1

TINLEY PARK, IL — As millions of Americans wait for their turn to receive a coronavirus vaccine and the nation's leaders vow to ramp up distribution, states have differed in how much of their supply has been used so far.

As of Thursday morning in Illinois, 1.98 million vaccine doses have been distributed, and 1.1 million — or around 55 percent — have been administered, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 860,000 people in Illinois have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 230,850 people have received both doses in the Prairie State, according to the CDC.

That's 1,822 fully vaccinated people per every 100,000 Illinois residents, or 6,779 people per every 100,000 who have gotten at least one vaccine dose.

The Tinley Park Convention Center was Illinois' first mass vaccination site, which opened in January. The Cook County Department of Public Health reported that there were over 7,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered at the site during the first week.

Residents in the 1b category can jump on the Community Vaccination Program website to see if they qualify to receive the vaccine at this time, make an appointment, get information and register for future notifications when the vaccine becomes available for other population groups.

Over 3.2 million Illinoisans are eligible for Phase 1B of vaccine distribution. Eligible residents, including everyone over age 65 and frontline essential workers, will be able to receive a vaccine at one of the Illinois National Guard assisted sites, at a site operated by a local health department, or at a partner pharmacy.

Tinley Village Board Praises Vaccine Distribution Center In Town | Tinley Park, IL Patch

Assistant Village Manager Pat Carr told the Tinley Park village board that the site was put together "very quickly," revealing around the clock work brought the site together in under two weeks.

"Our convention center has been vacant for the past nine months because of COVID. So we put together a plan with Cook County Health, Cook County Emergency Management [and] the Cook County Department of Public Health, to utilize our facility," Carr said. "Within a matter of days, this past weekend, with around-the-clock construction, we were able to transform the convention center into the first mega pod vaccination center in the state."

Carr said this is a historic event and that about 500 vaccines were distributed on day one of being open. He said the site will continue to vaccinate the public until further notice.

Visit the Cook County Department of Public Health for more information on vaccine distribution.

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