Suburban Cook County residents are now able to fill out a survey from the Department of Public Health to express interest in receiving the new coronavirus vaccine in the coming weeks and months, a step the department says is critical to rolling out the treatment to the county’s 2.5 million residents.
The survey, originally open to health care and essential workers who work in the suburban portions of the county, is also now open to residents interested in receiving the vaccine, the department announced late Monday.
There had been some confusion over whether residents could fill out the survey earlier in the day, but those questions were resolved in the evening as officials seek to gain a fuller understanding of how they will roll out the treatment as more doses become available.
“We are seeking to deliver updated, transparent information directly to the public so that the giant task of immunizing up to 2.5 million residents can be accomplished efficiently and equitably over the coming weeks and months,” the department said in a press release.
The survey, which can be found at the county’s website, can be filled out by residents living in CCDPH’s jurisdiction, and healthcare workers living in the jurisdiction of the health department can fill out a separate survey available on the website.
Officials are cautioning residents that the public health department’s jurisdiction does not include Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park or Stickney Township, which all have their own health departments and are handling the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in different ways.
Those who fill out the survey will be put on a list to receive more information about the vaccine, and the list will also be used to disseminate information on when the vaccine will be available to the general public, according to officials.
News
Those who do not have access to the internet and still want to be added to the county’s contact list can call the COVID hotline at 708-836-4755, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Survey responses will be used to “understand demand and build appropriate capacity to vaccinate,” according to a press release.
Those who respond to the survey will be added to a list to receive updates on COVID-19 vaccine availability, and will be used to help plan next steps when the county moves beyond Phase 1A of vaccine rollout.
The survey itself is not a vaccine registry, according to officials. The CCDPH also cautions that it will likely take through January and into February to get all health care workers vaccinated in Phase 1A of the county’s plan to distribute the vaccine, so it encourages residents to be patient as information is gathered and disseminated.
As of Monday, more than 40,000 people have signed up to receive updates from the county.
Vaccines will be given through health providers, while the county will organize some vaccination drives and other events, according to a press release.
