The three remaining mass COVID vaccination sites in suburban Cook County will close this week as public health officials move to a more hyperlocal model to get shots in arms.
County officials say the sites have seen a sharp decline in attendance at the remaining mass vaccination sites and thus, the effort will move toward a model of meeting people where they congregate.
There have been more than 600,000 shots given at the Cook County mass vaccination sites. Providing more than 4,000 doses per day at their peak, the number has now fallen to fewer than 100.
The locations in Forest Park and Des Plaines close Tuesday, while the site in south suburban Matteson is scheduled to close Wednesday. Three other sites - in Tinley Park, River Grove and South Holland - all previously closed earlier this year.
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With concerns about the more transmissible delta variant on the rise, the sites closing does not mean vaccinations are being halted - just shifted to a more hyperlocal strategy with clinics to be held at places like forest preserves, neighborhood festivals and back-to-school gatherings.
Upcoming events can be found on Cook County's vaccine website here.
