CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Senior citizens who want to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments at the United Center still can, but they are left with walk-up appointments.
Registration for the United Center mass vaccination site began Thursday morning, and despite some glitches, by mid-afternoon nearly 28,000 seniors had registered for appointments by phone and online.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said that there was a “huge rush of people” when registration first became available Thursday on the Zocdoc registration website.
”Some people weren’t able to get through immediately...Just a sign of how much demand there is for appointments,” she said.
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Dr. Arwady said initial drive-thru appointments were all booked by Thursday morning, but thousands of walk-up appointments still remain available.
The United Center mass vaccination site will have a “soft opening” on Tuesday, said Dan Shulman, a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman. On Wednesday, the site will fully open hoping to hit its goal of administering 6,000 vaccine doses per day. The site will be open seven days a week for eight weeks.
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., if any are still available.
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.
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Meanwhile, the Army is deploying 200 soldiers from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to help support the United Center mass vaccination site.
The soldiers, who are assigned to the 426th Brigade Support Batallion’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, are part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s COVID-19 response operation.
The reinforcements were requested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is managing the vaccination site with help from the Defense Department and state and local officials. The soldiers join 139 others already assisting the federal vaccination in Orlando, Florida.
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