Health Department Expands Phase 1b Plus Vaccine Opportunities

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For Immediate Release
Date: March 30, 2021

Health Department Expands Phase 1b Plus Vaccine Opportunities

Over 70 percent of residents age 65 and older vaccinated

Lake County, Ill. — The Lake County Health Department has expanded availability of appointments at the Lake County Fairgrounds to those eligible in Phase 1b Plus, including essential workers and people age 16-64 with comorbidities, underlying health conditions, and disabilities who are registered in the AllVax system.

As of March 29, 2021, more than 279,013 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Lake County residents, and 99,017 residents (14.13% of the population) are fully vaccinated. So far, 70.83% of seniors age 65 and older and 23.54% of residents age 16-64 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“While the demand for COVID-19 vaccines in Lake County still exceeds our supply, we are making great progress and are now able to open vaccination appointments for more groups,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director at the Lake County Health Department. “Last week we gave the green light to our partners to move into Phase 1b Plus vaccinations, and we are pleased to now offer appointments to this group at the fairgrounds as well. This has been and will continue to be a whole community effort to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, and several more sites will be opening in the next few weeks as our vaccine supply increases.”

Anyone who lives or works in Lake County, Illinois is encouraged to register in the AllVax Portal at https://allvax.lakecohealth.org. Registration is free, easy, and secure. People who need help registering may call (847) 377-8130 or email AllVax@lakecountyil.gov. People who are registered in AllVax are notified by email when there is vaccine supply and an appointment available. Registrants who do not have email accounts are notified via phone.

Under the Illinois Department of Public Health mass vaccination plan, seniors age 65 and older and frontline essential workers are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1b, including first responders, Pre-K through 12th grade staff, child group daycare, food and agriculture, manufacturing, postal service, public transit, grocery store, and shelters / adult daycare workers, corrections workers and inmates.

Phase 1b began on January 25, 2021 in Lake County. As of March 23, appointments have been offered to all Lake County seniors registered in AllVax. As of March 30, all frontline essential workers registered in AllVax who live or work in Lake County can schedule their appointments through the system. If this applies to you, please check your email (including your spam folder) or login to AllVax to schedule your appointment.

Eligibility in Phase 1b Plus includes those age 16-64 with diabetes, obesity, pulmonary diseases, heart conditions, chronic kidney disease, sickle cell disease, cancer, immunocompromised from a solid organ transplant, as well as smokers, those who are pregnant, and persons with a disability. Additional essential workers in this phase include government employees, higher education staff, news media, food and beverage service workers, religious leaders, and those in construction trades and working in businesses supporting building/infrastructure repair.

Pharmacies in Lake County began vaccinating Phase 1b Plus on February 25, 2021, while the Lake County Health Department and partners continued vaccinating Phase 1b. Several partners opened to Phase 1b Plus the week of March 21, 2021, and the Health Department began opening appointments at the fairgrounds to this phase on March 30, 2021.

As of April 12, 2021, all Illinoisans age 16 and older will become eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.

“Remember, eligibility does not mean availability,” said Pfister. “It will take months for vaccine doses and appointments to be available to everyone who wants one, and in the meantime we must continue following the 3 Ws to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance. We thank everyone for their continued patience and commitment to protecting our communities.”

Details about local vaccination sites are updated regularly at www.lakecountyil.gov/vaccine, included in the Health Department’s weekly email newsletter, and shared through the Health Department’s vast network of community partners.

The State of Illinois Vaccine Locator website provides a directory of locations offering COVID-19 vaccines, including dozens of pharmacies in Lake County. At this time, all sites are providing vaccinations by appointment only. Residents are encouraged to check with their own healthcare provider and register with additional vaccine providers who may have appointments available. Please be advised that all vaccine providers have limited appointment availability due to vaccine supply.

For answers to frequently answered questions about COVID-19 vaccination, please visit the AllVax FAQ page.

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General Public: COVID19@lakecountyil.gov
AllVax Support: AllVax@lakecountyil.gov / (847) 377-8130
News Media Email: COVIDmedia@lakecountyil.gov

News Media Phone: (847) 377-2001


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Lake County Health Department
3010 Grand Avenue
Waukegan, Illinois 60085
(847) 377-8000