Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times file
Cook County health officials announced Thursday that the county will be releasing 20,000 appointments for eligible recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine Friday.
At noon Friday, Cook County residents included in Phase 1A and Phase 1B of the state vaccination program will be able to sign up for 20,000 first-dose appointments at:
Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Dr., Tinley Park;
Triton College, 2000 5th Ave., River Grove;
South Suburban College, 15800 State St., South Holland; and
North Riverside Health Center, 1800 S Harlem Ave., North Riverside.; and
An undisclosed site in Des Plaines.
With the exception of the site at the Tinley Park Convention Center, which will offer the Moderna vaccine, residents signing up for appointments at the suburban sites will be given the Pfizer vaccine.
Des Plaines (Pfizer, the week of March 15)
All vaccinations are by appointment only, health officials noted, with proof of eligibility in Phases 1A or 1B. The appointments can be made online at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
Previously, the Des Plaines location was administering Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses, but the county said due to limited supply, the location will instead be provided with the Pfizer vaccine for the week of March 15.
Those who receive vaccines through the Cook County sites will book their second-dose appointments the same day as their first-dose appointments.
The sites are part of several mass vaccination locations in Illinois. Currently, there are 22 statewide. Here s a full list.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
One day after President Joe Biden pledged to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults by May 1, Gov. J.B. Pritzker went one step better on Friday, saying he is confident Illinois can open up eligibility a bit earlier.
“I feel very confident moving forward that supplies are increasing, that the president is doing everything that he can to get us there,” Pritzker said during a news conference at Loretto Hospital. “And I’m confident that not just by May 1, but maybe even a little bit earlier, we could open up to everyone in the state, everyone that’s eligible.”