COVID Vaccine Registration in Illinois: Where You Can Get It and How to Make an Appointment

With both Illinois and Chicago now opening vaccinations to millions of residents under Phase 1B guidelines, many are wondering where they can get vaccinated and how they schedule an appointment.

Phase 1B opens up vaccinations to people age 65 years and older as well as "frontline essential workers," which includes first responders, education workers like teachers and support staff, childcare workers, grocery store employees, postal service workers and more.

There are several ways eligible residents will be able to get vaccinated, but state officials have urged patience as the new phase opens up.

"At this time, these sites will be available by appointment only," the governor's office said in a release.

Here's a breakdown of where you can get vaccinated and how to get an appointment, when available:

National Guard and State-Run Sites

On Jan. 25, National Guard-led sites started vaccinating residents eligible under Phase 1B.

• To make an appointment through a state-run vaccination site, click here. For a statewide vaccination locations map or to find a site near you, click here. Note: those who schedule an appointment through these sites will need:
  • You may be required to provide proof of employment as health care personnel using an employee ID, a recent letter from your employer, or a recent pay stub. If you are not eligible in this phase, your vaccination appointment will be rejected.

As of Feb. 25, 15 state-run mass vaccination sites were operating in Illinois. They include:

Opens	Location	Address	Appointment	Doses capability at full capacity
Now Open	Tinley Park Convention Center	18451  Convention Center Drive	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	2,160
Now Open	North Riverside Health Center	1800 S. Harlem Avenue, North Riverside IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	270
Now Open	Morton East School Base Clinic	2423 S. Austin Blvd, Cicero IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	270
Now Open	Robbins Health Center	13450 S. Kedzie Ave., Robbins IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	135
Now Open	Cottage Grove Health Center	1645 Cottage Grove Ave., Ford Heights IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	135
Now Open	Blue Island Health Center	12757 S. Western Ave., Blue Island IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	270
Now Open	Arlington Heights Health Center	3250 N. Arlington Heights Rd. Arlington Heights IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	270
Now Open	Triton College	2000 5th Ave., River Grove IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	540
Now Open	South Suburban College	15800 State St., South Holland IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	540
Now Open	Thornton Fractional South High School	18500 Burnham Ave, Lansing, IL 60438	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	270
Now Open	Orr Building	Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield IL	http://www.SCDPH.org (217) 210-8801	1620
Now Open	Belle-Clair Fairgrounds	200 S. Belt E #2650, Belleville IL	https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department	1080
Now Open	Banterra Center	Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL	http://www.jchdonline.org/.	540
Now Open	Carbondale Civic Center	Carbondale IL	http://www.jchdonline.org/.	540
Now Open	Winnebago County	1321 Sandy Hollow Rd., Rockford IL	https://www.wchd.org/	1350
Now Open	Gateway Convention Center	1 Gateway Drive., Collinsville IL	https://www.co.madison.il.us/departments/health/index.php	1350
Mar. 4	Former K-Mart	1155 E Oakton St, Des Plaines, IL	https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov	1,890
Mar 4	Oakley Lindsey Center	300 Civic Center Plaza, Quincy IL	https://www.adamscountytogether.com/	2,100
Mar 10	United Center	1901 W. Madison Street, Chicago IL	https://www.zocdoc.com/vaccine/screener?state=IL	6,000

United Center Mass Vaccination Site

Vaccinations are expected to begin on March 9 at a new mass vaccination clinic at the United Center in Chicago. With up to 6,000 doses per day expected once the site is up and running.

Appointments are scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. on March 4, but only for Illinois residents age 65 and older. The senior-only appointment window will continue through 4 p.m. March 7.

Illinois residents have two options for making appointments: online and through a call center.

• To register online, visit Zocdoc.com/vaccine. The web site is projected to handle much higher volume of appointment requests. Zocdoc 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. Given the anticipated high demand for appointments, 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.

The site will operate seven days a week for eight weeks under the federal government’s vaccination pilot program.

Grocery Stores, Drug Stores and Pharmacies

Vaccinations are now available at several Hy-Vee, Jewel-Osco, Kroger, Mariano’s, Meijer, Walgreens, and Walmart pharmacies in Illinois.

• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can get an appointment through Walgreens click here. Note: those who schedule an appointment will need:
  • An appointment confirmation email
  • A COVID-19 Vaccination Authorization Form with your registration code (if applicable)
  • State ID, valid driver’s license or other government-issued ID
  • Work ID or other document to show proof of employment (for healthcare workers, frontline and essential workers only)
  • Medical and/or pharmacy benefit insurance card
  • Download, print and complete the vaccination consent form. If you don’t bring the completed form, you will need to complete it at the pharmacy before your vaccination.
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can get an appointment through Jewel-Osco click here. Note: those who schedule an appointment will need:
  • Proof of employment (badge, paystub, uniform, etc)
  • Medical license (if applicable)
  • Drivers license
  • Medical and prescription insurance cards
  • Last 4 digits of SSN
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can get an appointment through Hy-Vee click here.
  • Monday-Friday: 7am – 7pm and Saturday-Sunday: 9am – 5pm (most locations)
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can sign-up for appointments through Kroger or Mariano's, click here. The company says "limited quantities are available at select locations." For more information click here.
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can sign-up for appointments through Meijer, click here.
  • Vaccinations will be offered either through a local Meijer Pharmacy or possibly through an offsite Meijer clinic
  • Those looking to get a vaccine through Meijer can pre-register online through the link above.
  • Other ways to register include:
    • Text "COVID" to 75049 to receive updates directly to your phone. When appointments become available you will receive a text with the option to accept, defer or be removed from the list.
    • Call your local Meijer Pharmacy
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can sign-up for appointments through Walmart, click here. Chicago Walmart locations offering vaccines as of Feb. 3 were:
  • 7535 S. Ashland Ave.
  • 4720 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
  • 4650 W. North Ave.
  • 4626 W. Diversey Ave.
  • 2844 N. Broadway St.
  • 2551 W. Cermak Rd.
  • 8331 S. Stewart Ave.
  • 10900 S. Doty Ave.
• For more information on how those eligible in Phase 1B can get an appointment through CVS click here. Note: those who schedule an appointment will need:
  • Medical and/or pharmacy benefit insurance card or
  • State ID, valid driver’s license, other government-issued ID or valid Social Security number
  • Eligibility requirements include:
    • Must live or work in Illinois
    • People age 65+
    • Qualifying essential workers who are public facing and cannot distance
    • Long-term care residents and staff
    • Congregate care residents and staff
  • Locations so far include Belleville, Chicago, Hoopeston, Mendota and Pekin.
    • NOTE: The Chicago location is limited to people age 65+ and healthcare workers who live or work in the city.

In total, each chain was administering doses at the following number of locations as of Feb. 11:

• CVS – 4 locations (excluding Chicago)
• Hy-Vee – 16 locations
• Jewel-Osco – 143 locations
• Kroger – 24 locations
• Mariano’s – 31 locations
• Meijer – 8 locations
• Walgreens – 520 locations
• Walmart – 8 locations

Hospitals and Health Systems

Here is a look at the vaccine plans in place at several area hospitals and health systems:

Northwestern Medicine

• Must be a current patient in order to receive the vaccine
• For Northwestern Memorial Hospital:
  • Vaccination plan prioritizes patients based on:
  • Age (older first) 
  • Home zip code, with a preference to high hardship zip codes identified in Senator Durbin’s HEAL initiative
    • "We are using this criteria to ensure a safe, efficient and equitable vaccination process for our patients," Northwestern said in a statement. "For example, last week we have invited established patients over 65 years of age from the HEAL zip codes and patients over 79 years of age from all other zip codes."
• Registration info: https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/covid-19-resource-center/covid-19-vaccines

Loretto Hospital

• Open to general public who are eligible in 1B
• Vaccinations will be provided from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, by appointment only
• To make an appointment, email Covidvaccineregistration@lorettohospital.org or call (773) 854-5421

Oak Street Health

• Open to patients and community members aged 65+ in Phase 1B
• Fill out form online, employee will contact you to schedule appointment: www.oakstreethealth.com/covid-19-vaccine

UChicago Medicine:

• Vaccinating current patients 65+ and will be using a lottery to notify people about when they’re eligible.
  • This is in addition to vaccination of healthcare workers (those associated with the hospital system and those who are unaffiliated with the organization.)
• There’s no sign-up (with the exception of a sign-up for unaffiliated healthcare workers). Since this is for current patients, the hospital is contacting people as their names come up in the lottery.
• Lottery began with patients 75+ who live in 15 South Side zip codes. Then, it expanded to those who are 65+ in those zip codes. Then, the zip code limitation was lifted.

UI Health

• Beginning the week of Jan. 25, UI Health started contacting current patients to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
• Vaccine scheduling will be coordinated via the MyChart patient portal/app. They will also use email and outreach calls to "invite current-phase individuals to schedule vaccine appointments."
• UI Health will be administering scheduled COVID-19 vaccinations at Credit Union 1 Arena, on the UIC campus. Vaccinations must be scheduled. Walk-ins are not available.
• As of Jan. 29, UI Health said it was scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments "for patients eligible to get the vaccine in Phase 1B."
  • Vaccine-eligible UI Health patients can schedule by phone, online, or in MyChart.
• More information here.

Rush University Medical Center

• Rush is currently offering self-scheduling for vaccine appointments at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. If you do not see any available appointments, the center says none are available.
• "We will continue to add new appointment times in conjunction with our weekly vaccine allocation," Rush's website reads.
• Rush Copley Medical Group is also beginning a phased rollout for existing patients who are 65 and older. "We will keep you updated as we expand our vaccine appointments at all our Rush hospitals," the website states.

Advocate Health Care

• Advocate Health Care is "vaccinating eligible health care workers and our most vulnerable patients based on CDC guidelines."
• Patients will be contacted when it is their turn to receive vaccine and to schedule an appointment.
• "Please do not call our hospitals or your doctor’s office to schedule," a message on the health system's website reads.

AMITA Health

• AMITA Health is not currently vaccinating patients at its hospitals
• "While we are not currently providing the COVID-19 vaccine to patients, we are working collaboratively with local health departments to understand needs and interest in receiving the vaccine."
• The group encourages residents in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, McHenry and Will counties to register for information as it becomes available.
• Check this site regularly for vaccine updates.

Innovative Express Care

• Innovative Express Care, which has locations in Chicago and Downers Grove, has administered more than 9,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and around 1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The doses come from the city of Chicago and Dupage County weekly.
• So far, the clinic has vaccinated individuals in group 1A and group 1B
• "Appointments fill very quickly and may not be available at this time. As we get more doses, we will expand appointment availability."
• Check for appointment availability here.

In addition to the above hospital and health systems, the state announced a number of medical centers and hospitals offering vaccines as of Feb. 10. They include:

• Carle Foundation Hospital – Champaign
• Elmhurst Hospital – Downers Grove
• Gibson Area Hospital – Gibson City
• HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital – O’Fallon
• Iroquois Memorial Hospital – Watseka
• Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital and Center for Health Services – (3 locations Polo, Oregon, Dixon)
• Massac Memorial Hospital – Metropolis
• McDonough District Hospital Health Services – Macomb
• Riverside Medical Center – Kankakee (2 locations)
• Swedish Hospital – Chicago
• University of Illinois Health – Chicago

County Health Departments

Vaccinations are also being provided by most local health departments, according to the governor's office. The list now on the state's website includes:

• DeKalb County Health Department – 2550 N. Annie Glidden Rd., DeKalb
• DuPage County Health Department – 111 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton
• Ogle County Health Department – 907 W. Pines Rd, Oregon; and 510 Lincoln Hwy, Rochelle
• Putnam County Health Department – 220 E. High St., Hennepin
• Rock Island County Health Department – 2112 25th Ave., Rock Island
• Sangamon County Department of Public Health – 2833 S. Grand Ave. East, Springfield
• Stickney Public Health District – 5635 State Rd., Burbank
• Vermilion County Health Department – 200 S. College St., Danville
• Warren County Health Department – 240 S. Main St., Monmouth
• Wayne County Health Department – 405 N. Basin Rd., Fairfield
• Whiteside County Health Department – 1300 W. 2nd St., Rock Falls

On Feb. 1, several other Illinois health departments were added to the list:

• Boone County Health Department
• Calhoun County Health Department
• Cumberland County Health Department
• Grundy County Health Department
• Jasper County Health Department
• Lawrence County Health Department
• Logan County Health Department
• McDonough District Hospital Health Services
• Southern 7 Health Department
  • Alexander County
  • Hardin County
  • Johnson County
  • Massac County
  • Pope County
  • Pulaski County
  • Union County

By Feb. 10, the state added the following locations:

• Clark County Health Department - Martinsville
• Crawford County Health Department – Robinson
• Franklin Williamson Bi-County Health Department – West Frankfort
• Jo Daviess County Health Department – (2 locations Elizabeth and Galena)
• Lee County Health Department – Dixon
• Madison County Health Department – Wood River
• Schuyler County Health Department – Rushville

Vaccine Rollout Plans and Information by County

For information on where to get vaccinated in each county, here's a list of Chicago-area county information sites:

• Cook County: A website launches at noon Monday for residents to receive information and make appointments as they become available. Click here for more. A call center is also going live at noon, at (833) 308-1988.
• DeKalb County: For the latest information and updates, click here. To sign up for notifications, click here.
• DuPage County: For the latest information and update, sign up for alerts on when you can get an appointment here.
  • NOTE: As of Feb. 10, the DuPage County Health Department's community vaccine clinic has moved to the DuPage County Fairgrounds at 2015 Manchester Rd.
    • Those looking to register for the vaccine at the fairgrounds can click here. Vaccinations will be available by appointment only to those who have signed up on the DCHD registration form. 
• Grundy County: For those in Phases 1A and 1B, a survey is required to declare your interest in getting vaccinated. Click here for the Phase 1b survey and here for the Phase 1a survey.
• Kankakee County: To register for the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes publicly available, please fill out the Kankakee County Health Department survey here. After completing the survey, the health department says it will contact you when it is your turn to get vaccinated and schedule your vaccine appointment. "As we move into each new phase KCHD staff will contact all of those eligible in that phase to provide directions on how to get scheduled for the vaccine."
• Kane County: For the latest information and updates, click here. To sign up for the latest updates from the county, click here.
• Kendall County: For the latest information and updates, click here. In additional, those who want to take a survey for more information can click the following links:
  • Click Here for:  Covid-19 Vaccine Recipient Administration Record
  • Click Here for: 1A COVID-19 Vaccine Survey
  • Click Here for: 1B COVID-19 Vaccine Survey
• Lake County: This county has launched what it calls the Lake County AllVax Portal. It asks residents to register and health officials will notify you when it is time to make your appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. "You will only receive an email to schedule when you are eligible and the Health Department has vaccine and appointments available to you," the county's website states. For more information click here.
• LaSalle County: Health care workers in Phase 1A can sign-up here. A Phase 1B notification sign-up is also available here. "Only individuals working or living in LaSalle County may receive vaccine through LaSalle County," the county's website states.
• McHenry County: Phase 1B enrollment form available here. Enrollment for Phase 1a is also available here. Residents can also sign up for e-notifications or other information here.
• Will County: Residents in this county are being asked to fill out a registration sign-up form here. Once signed up, residents will be notified when they can schedule an appointment. For additional information, click here.

Where to Go in Chicago

In Chicago, which is also in Phase 1B, the city's top doctor said there are four ways in which residents will be able to get vaccinated.

On Feb. 2, the city launched a new site where residents can schedule coronavirus vaccine appointments and get a real-time look at availability.

The new platform, done in partnership with Zocdoc, will show appointment availability for city POD sites, as well as "care organizations" like AMITA Health, Erie Family Health, Innovative Express Care and Rush University Medical Center.

Here's how to use it and where you can sign up.

The city noted that "supply of vaccines is currently very limited," but said appointments will be added "on an ongoing basis as more vaccines are allocated to providers." Officials also expect more local healthcare providers - including other hospital systems and Federally Qualified Health Centers - will join in on the scheduling partnership.

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady also said residents should check for vaccine appointments through a medical system or health care provider, through pharmacies, through a dedicated vaccination location like the points of dispensing sites, or through an employer.

Chicago officials say the best way to get updates on the vaccination rollout is through "Chi COVID Coach," a platform the Chicago Department of Public Health is using to monitor symptoms, giving information on testing in the city and help you get the latest details on the city's vaccination plan - including notification when you can register to get your vaccine.

You can sign up for Chi COVID Coach here.

While anyone who qualifies for the vaccine in Phase 1B is eligible to receive it, Chicago's plan aims to prioritize certain populations, Arwady said.

What's Coming?

Additional vaccination sites are set to open across the state, including hundreds of additional pharmacy providers coming online through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to the state's website.

"As the state moves forward with its plan and continues to build out capacity, smaller independent pharmacies, urgent care clinics, doctors’ offices, and workplaces will all be coming online to serve as vaccination sites," the state's website reads. "Additional teams from the [Illinois National Guard] will also deploy to regions across the state to stand up new sites and build out additional capacity at existing sites."

For a complete look at everything we know about Phase 1B of vaccinations, click here.