Mass Vaccination Site
The State of Illinois is partnering with DuPage and Kane counties to launch mass vaccination sites in those areas. The move will help boost access to the COVID-19 vaccine in the two counties.
“We are incredibly pleased to be partnering with IDPH to expand access to COVID-19 vaccination. Our DCHD Community Vaccination Clinic has been administering vaccines since December, but like the rest of the state and country, we have been constrained by the limited vaccine supply available from the federal government,” said Karen Ayala, Executive Director of the DuPage County Health Department in a press release. “This unique partnership will allow our clinic to operate at full capacity and offer more opportunities to get this life-saving vaccine to the residents of DuPage County and Illinois.”
The partnership with the state and DuPage County will create a joint-State/County mass vaccination site, similar to their partnership with the COVID-19 testing site run at the DuPage County Fairgrounds.
According to the press release, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois National Guard, and local health departments are conducting site surveys to identify the best location for the vaccination clinic that will open to the public in the coming weeks.
“Since day one, our Illinois COVID-19 Vaccination Plan has been an all-hands-on-deck effort, and as the national supply has expanded, so too has the number of locations Illinoisans can get vaccinated, said Governor J.B. Pritzker in the press release. “With nearly one in three adult residents already vaccinated, Illinois has made great progress to date in saving lives and ending this pandemic, and I’ll deploy every available resource to get the entire state over that finish line as quickly as possible.”
Expanding List of Essential Workers
This news comes after the state’s announcement yesterday that all Illinois residents 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 12. The state also announced today they are expanding the list of essential workers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of April 12.
Beginning March 22, higher education staff, government workers, and media will be eligible for vaccination at the more than 900 vaccination sites in the state. Beginning March 29, food and beverage workers, construction trade workers, and religious leaders can get the vaccine.
“From the very beginning of our COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Illinois has ensured our most vulnerable residents receive first access to these life-saving doses, from our healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff, to our 65 and over population and those living with pre-existing conditions, to frontline essential workers who are more exposed to COVID-19 at their workplaces,” said Pritzker in a press release. “Before Illinois expands eligibility to all residents 16 years and older on April 12, I’m proud to announce expanded eligibility for additional groups of more vulnerable populations. With weekly shipments to Illinois surpassing one million doses in April, we are on track to save lives and bring this pandemic to an end.”
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
