CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Beginning Thursday, Illinois seniors can schedule their first COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the United Center mass vaccination site.
The site on Chicago's Near West Side will administer a limited number of vaccines on March 9 — a day earlier than officials had previously announced — but registration for seniors will begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday. The site fully opens March 10.
Starting Thursday, there will be more than 110,000 time slots for those 65 or older to register for.
“Folks, this is an all-call to seniors, their family members or anyone else in the seniors network and support system to get them signed up for these appointments before they are taken,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
“We have a quarter million seniors who have yet to get their first dose. In order for us to truly rise above this terrible pandemic, we must get our seniors vaccinated as fast as humanly possible.”
Following this exclusive appointment period for seniors, all Illinoisans eligible under the state’s Phase 1B+, including those 16 and over with underlying medical conditions, will be able to schedule appointments beginning Sunday, March 7 at 4 p.m.
Illinois residents have two options for making appointments: online and through a call center.
• To register online, visit zocdoc.com/vaccine. The website will show real-time appointment availability and eligible residents will then be able to select a date/time and book an appointment online. Date of birth will be required when booking an appointment to confirm vaccine eligibility.
• To register by phone, call (312) 746-4835. To help bridge the digital divide, a multi-lingual call center will be available to help seniors make an appointment. This call center will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
City officials said residents who can use the website should book their appointments online. While the call center has 200 staffers, those who need to use the call center will very likely experience lengthy wait times.
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The United Center location is expected to be able to administer 6,000 vaccine doses per day once it is fully operational. The vaccine will be offered at no cost, and insurance is not required, nor will it be requested at the federal community vaccination center. Documentation regarding immigration status is also not required.
The United Center mass vaccination site will operate seven days a week for eight weeks under the federal government’s vaccination pilot program. The facility will be managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with support from the Department of Defense, State of Illinois, Cook County and City of Chicago.
FEMA will administer the shots in tents set up in the parking lot northeast of the stadium. It’ll be a combination of walk-up and drive-thru services. The Pfizer vaccine will be administered in the first wave of appointments, which span the month of March, according to Dr. Arwady.
“Still, we don’t have enough vaccine for everybody who wants it, but every day that calculus is improving,” Arwady said, calling the United Center plan “a major improvement in terms of our ability to get vaccine first to seniors.”
The United Center site builds on an expanding network of state-supported sites operating across southern, central and northern Illinois. To find additional information about vaccine availability, including locations and eligibility, visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/.
“From the beginning, we have prioritized ensuring our seniors and vulnerable populations can receive the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly and equitably as possible, and I’m thrilled the United Center vaccine site will help deliver on those core goals,” said Governor JB Pritzker, in a statement. “This site adds 6,000 doses per day to our growing statewide capacity and joins 15 state-supported mass vaccine sites now operating across Illinois. I’m grateful to our federal, county and city partners for their leadership and encourage our seniors and all eligible Illinoisans who have not yet been vaccinated to utilize this new site.”
For Chicago residents, the City of Chicago is partnering with Uber to provide residents with transportation assistance to get to and from their vaccine appointments. Uber is providing 20,000 $40 ride credits to eligible residents. After a Chicago resident books an appointment via Zocdoc, they will receive an appointment confirmation email which will also ask if they need transportation to their visit. If so, they’ll receive ride credits from Uber which will work only for rides to and from the United Center.