CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The State of Illinois is pushing college students to get the COVID vaccine.
With young people driving the increase in COVID-19 cases in Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced an effort to encourage college students to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
The effort, called “College Vaccination Days,” began over the weekend and will continue into this week. On different days, state-supported mass vaccination sites across Illinois will have COVID-19 vaccination appointments available for college and university students.
“Our young adults have a key role to play in bringing this pandemic to an end, and I’m proud to make it easier for our community college and public and private university students to access these life-saving vaccines,” said Governor JB Pritzker, in a statement. “Getting vaccinated is about protecting yourself, but it’s also about protecting your professors, your parents, your peers, campus staff, and the greater community you call home.”
The following mass vaccination sites will have appointments available specifically for college and university students on the following days.
Monday, April 19 - Cook County sites
• Arlington Heights Health Center, 3250 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights
• Former K-Mart, 1155 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines
• Forest Park - Former HOBO, 7600 Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park
• Matteson – Former Target, 4647 Promenade Way, Matteson
• South Suburban College, 15800 State St., South Holland
• Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park
• Triton College, 2000 5th Ave., River Grover
Tuesday, April 20
• DuPage County - Fairgrounds Building 1, 2015 Manchester Rd., Wheaton
• Grundy County - Shabbona Middle School, 725 School St., Morris
• Lake County - Lake County Fairgrounds, 1060 E. Peterson Rd., Grayslake
• Will County - Former Toys R Us, 3128 Voyager Lane, Joliet
Additionally, ,ass vaccination sites in DeKalb, McDonough, and McLean counties will continue to provide vaccinations to students as part of the Rapid Response Vaccination Teams that are deployed to areas seeing increasing cases.
The vaccine clinic at Northwestern University is setting aside 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine for students.
Beginning this week, Northwestern will first invite students living in on-campus housing and then invite students registered for in-person classes. After that, Northwestern will then invite undergraduate and graduate students based on their engagement level on campus, prioritizing those who have been the most actively engaged.
Loyola University and DePaul University do not have on-campus vaccine sites, but both schools have online tools to help students find a vaccine appointment.
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