A block of coronavirus vaccination appointments in suburban Cook County were snapped up in a matter of minutes on Wednesday evening.
The 8,000 appointments, released by Cook County Health at 6 p.m. Wednesday, were all booked within 25 minutes, an official with the organization told NBC 5.
The appointments, all first-dose COVID vaccine appointments, were earmarked for individuals in Phases 1A, 1B, and 1C, and were booked up quickly. Another block of 25,000 appointments had been opened on Sunday, and those were gone within hours, according to officials.
Cook County Health moved suburban portions of the county to Phase 1C of the vaccination rollout plan this week.
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"All essential workers – including clergy, restaurant staff, energy, legal, retail and transportation and logistics – are now eligible to receive vaccine," the county said, noting that Phase 1C includes the last eligible groups before all residents age 16 and older will be able to get vaccinated in the coming weeks.
The county was previously in Phase 1B Plus. A complete list of Phase 1C eligible groups can be found on the CCDPH website. Anyone eligible in prior phases remains eligible for vaccinations moving forward.
There is some good news for residents who weren’t able to get appointments, however. More appointments could become available as soon as Thursday as the county continues to receive more shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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More information on those developments can be found on the county’s COVID website.
