If you were hoping to sign up at one of Cook County's four mass vaccination locations, including the newly-opened Des Plaines site, it appears all first-dose appointments have been booked for now, county officials said.
As of Thursday afternoon, an alert on Cook County's vaccine registration website said "there are no more first dose appointments available at Cook County Community Vaccination locations."
The county urged patience and said vaccine supply is expected to "increase in the coming weeks."
It was not immediately clear when more appointments would become available, but the alert remained on the site as of Friday afternoon.
The newest mass vaccination site in suburban Des Plaines opened Friday, the first large-scale facility to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois.
Appointments at the new location opened at 1 p.m. Thursday and officials said residents could sign up from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at vaccine.cookcountyil.gov or by calling (833) 308-1988.
For a look at how you can sign up for a COVID vaccine appointment in Illinois, click here.
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Cook County officials said they expected to administer 800 vaccines on the first day Friday, with the goal of giving 2,800 doses per day next week. The health department previously said the site would administer nearly 3,500 doses per day once it's "fully optimized" and vaccine is available.
“This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19 and providing all three FDA approved vaccines ensures that our residents are afforded every vaccine option currently available,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective in protecting people against severe illness and death. The fact that it is a one-dose vaccine is exciting as it allows people to protect themselves in just one visit.”
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Thousands of doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were slated to arrive in Cook County on Thursday, after shipments of the third vaccine to receive federal approval began earlier this week.
Chicago and Illinois are expecting to receive an estimated dose count of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine above 100,000 by the end of the week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said doses are expected across the state, with roughly 22,000 planned for Chicago and another 83,000 for the remaining regions.
More than 90% of the newly authorized vaccine will go to mass vaccination sites throughout the state, with the remaining doses shipped to other providers, officials said. IDPH noted that the total doses does not include those going to Chicago, which will receive its own allocation.
In addition to the Des Plaines appointments, more than 100,000 appointments for seniors also opened Thursday morning for the mass vaccination site at the United Center, with plans to begin vaccinations next week.
