Illinois and Chicago will enter the next phase of their vaccination plan starting Monday, according to health officials.
Phase 1b, which includes approximately 3.2 million residents, resident centers aged 65 and over and “essential front-line workers”, including first aid workers, education workers such as teachers and support staff, childcare workers, grocery store employees, postal service workers and others.
Below you can see who will be included in phase 1b:
- Residents 65 years or older
- Essential front-line workers, which means “residents who have a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19 because of their work duties, often because they cannot work from home and / or have to work closely with others without being able to distance themselves socially.This includes:
- First responders: Fires, law enforcement, 911 workers, security personnel, school officers
- Education: Teachers, principals, student aid, student aid, daycare
- Food and agriculture: Processing, plants, veterinary health, livestock services, animal care
- Manufacturing: Industrial production of goods for distribution to retail, wholesale or other manufactures
- Corrections and interns: Prison officers, juvenile facility staff, in-person support workers, inmates
- USPS workers
- Public transport workers: Flight crew, bus drivers, train drivers, taxi drivers, public transport drivers, in-person assistance, travel sharing services
- Grocery store workers: Baggers, ATMs, stockers, collection, customer service
- Hostels and daycare staff: Shelter for homeless people, shelter for women, adult program / start day, sheltered workshop, psychosocial rehabilitation
Gov. JB Pritzker said while the state still plans to move into the phase starting Monday, there will be limitations based on the amount of vaccine the state receives.
“That doesn’t mean, though, that you can get the vaccine right away as easily as you can get the flu shot,” Pritzker said. “Because federal vaccine production has been hampered by the previous administration’s failure to properly invoke the Defense Production Act, the supply of vaccines is still limited nationwide. There are additional vaccines in the process that will soon be able to But there are 3.2 million Illinoisans in Phase 1b, so there will be much greater demand than short-term supply, to put it in perspective, “We expect about 126,000 first doses to arrive outside of Chicago next week. 4% of the population 1b. Until the supply of vaccines is improved, we will all have to be patient.”
Pritzker said the state is working to build capacity and expects to see an increase in doses in the coming weeks.
Starting Monday, National Guard-led sites will vaccinate eligible residents in Phase 1b, as well as CVS, Jewel Osco and Walgreens sites, Pritzker said. There are six National Guard-equipped vaccination sites in Cook County, with an additional 24 teams deployed over the next three weeks.
On Feb. 1, other pharmacies, including Hy-Vee, Mariano’s and Kroger, will also begin vaccinating, Pritzker said.
“Due to supply limitations, I want to point out that vaccines will only be made by appointment, so don’t try to line up at the store or call your local pharmacy. When we have a steady stream of vaccines from the federal government, we will launch accessible locations and operations 24 hours a day, “Pritzker said.
Illinois health officials announced Friday the launch of a registration for the statewide coronavirus vaccination appointment on their website.
“As we increase the capacity to make the vaccine widely available, we will launch a statewide website to provide more information so you can request an appointment to get vaccinated,” Pritzker said last week.
Although residents can now access the state’s coronavirus website, appointments are not yet available. Once appointments are available, residents can access a link that will take them to their local health care provider to coordinate when and where to receive the vaccine, officials said.
Pritzker noted that some pharmacies, such as Walgreens, already have an online dating website, and that they are expected to follow others.
In Chicago, there are four ways residents can get vaccinated, the city’s top teacher said this week.
Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said options include through a medical system or health care provider, through pharmacies, through a dedicated vaccination site such as points at dispensing sites or through an employer.
While anyone who meets the requirements for the next phase vaccine is eligible to receive it, Chicago’s Phase 1b aims to prioritize certain populations, Arwady said.
“So, from the beginning, I want people to hear that even when the phase opens, most people won’t be able to get vaccinated right away that first week, even the second week, and so on.” , Arwady said, adding that he expects to vaccinate most people in phase 1b by February and March.
For those receiving the vaccine around the city, there will be prioritization for those most at risk and helping to “reduce barriers,” Arwady said.
“The way it will be developed broadly is that during the months of February and March, anyone over the age of 65 or these essential front-line workers is eligible for the vaccine,” Arwady said. “And, for example, if I’m a grocery store worker or I’m a teacher or I work in public transportation and I have an appointment with my doctor, for example, my doctor can vaccinate me at any time after January. , but we will also work to bring the vaccine to employers, to partner with employers to reduce barriers so that these groups can get the vaccine. ”
At the beginning of Phase 1B, the city plans to direct the vaccine to correctional facilities and first aid.
“This has already been in place because we have been vaccinating health workers in these settings, whether they are people from the ambulance emergency medical service, if they are the people in correctional settings who do health care,” Arwady said. . “Therefore, the plans are underway and in addition there will be more workers online. These are the parameters where we have seen more cases of COVID, more outbreaks. All the cases we prevent in these parameters indirectly prevent many other cases. past COVID, reduces the risk when people return to communities, which is really essential to vaccinate these workers. “
In February, depending on the availability of vaccines, the city will make vaccines available to employers of workers in grocery stores and manufacturing and factory establishments.
After that, later in February, the city plans to target the vaccine to daycare workers and educators.
“From 12 to 12, early childhood educators, private parish public, it doesn’t matter. All educators will be prioritized with planning a little later in February,” Arwady said. “And that’s up and running right now.”
Arwady said it will take weeks for each group to be vaccinated.
Starting in March, depending on the availability of vaccines, vaccines will be extended to employers of public transport workers, agricultural workers, government workers, postal workers and more.
Although Illinois has not yet determined dates for future vaccine phases, Chicago officials said Phase 1c could arrive in late March and Phase 2, which includes all residents over the age of 16, could begin on May 31.
Earlier this week, health care providers could begin offering any “leftover dose” of coronavirus vaccines to people over 65 living or working in Chicago in what was described as a modified phase of the coronavirus. city vaccination plan.
Chicago officials say the best way to get updates on vaccination launches is through “Chi COVID Coach,” a platform the Chicago Department of Public Health uses to control symptoms by providing information about tests in the city. and helping you get the latest details on the city’s vaccination plan, including notification of when you can sign up for the vaccine.
You can sign up for Coach Chi COVID here.