All residents who obtain walk-in appointments at the United Center mass vaccination site will receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting April 20, officials said Sunday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot's office announced the news, explaining the city's Department of Public Health has reported high demand from residents for the single-shot vaccine.
The drive-thru portion of the mass vaccination site, which opened in late March, will provide second doses of the Pfizer vaccine to individuals who've already received their first dose at the United Center, city officials said.
Walk-in appointments for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available starting Monday, April 12. There are two options for making appointments: online and through a call center.
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- 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.
It remains unclear how manufacturing issues at a major Johnson & Johnson plant in Baltimore, which caused the company to scale back doses by 86% next week, will impact the availability of vaccine doses at the United Center site.
Starting Monday, all Illinois residents age 16 and older, except those in the city of Chicago, will be able to sign up for vaccine appointments.
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One week later, on April 19, the city of Chicago will lower its eligibility age to 16 years old. However, individuals must be 18 years old to receive a vaccine at city-run sites, including the United Center, according to city officials.
Click here for a complete guide of where you can sign up for the COVID vaccine in Illinois
