Scenario 1 — Health Care Worker (Hospital-based)
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Health care workers are in Phase 1a, which started on Dec. 15, 2020.
Chances are, the hospital or clinic where you work has already offered the vaccine to you as an employee. If not, you remain eligible and should ask your employer about how to get a free inoculation.
If your hospital or clinic is not administering the vaccine, contact your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 2 — Health Care Worker (unaffiliated)
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Health care workers are in Phase 1a, which started on Dec. 15, 2020.
If you work in private practice or provide care in someone’s home, your employer probably does not have direct access to vaccines. Businesses with fewer than 250 employees may request access to appointments at one of six points of dispensing (PODs) run by the Chicago Department of Public Health.
You can also contact your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 3 — First Responder
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
First responders are in Phase 1a, which started on Dec. 15, 2020.
City employees in this group should be able to get vaccinated directly through the Chicago Department of Public Health, which runs its own private point of dispensing, or POD, for public safety workers, including paramedics, firefighters, 911 operators, and police officers.
You can also contact your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 4 — Frontline Essential Worker
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Frontline essential workers are in Phase 1b, which started on Jan. 25, 2021.
Covering a broad swath of public and private jobs, this designation includes grocery store clerks, public transit workers, U.S. Postal Service mail carriers, and teachers, among many other occupations we rely on daily. There are an estimated 350,000 frontline essential workers in Chicago, who share the eligibility phase with some 363,000 Chicagoans aged 65 and older. And right now, demand far outpaces supply. So even though you’re eligible, the wait for an appointment — regardless of where you get it — could last weeks.
Start by asking your employer if it has an in-house vaccination plan. Public entities, such as Chicago Public Schools, and certain private sector businesses, such as large grocery store chains with pharmacy services (Jewel-Osco, for example), have been earmarked to receive a direct supply. You may be able to get vaccinated by a qualified coworker, like a school nurse or pharmacist.
Other private companies and organizations that employ frontline essential workers have three ways to offer vaccinations to employees:
An employer can enroll to become a vaccinator for its staff.
An employer can partner with a third-party vaccinator, such as a local hospital, community clinic, or pharmacy.
Businesses with fewer than 250 employees can register with the city to give their employees access to appointments at one of the mass vaccinations sites (called PODs, or points of dispensing) run by the Chicago Department of Health.
You can also go directly to your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 5 — Other Essential Worker
You’ll be eligible starting March 29, 2021.
Essential workers are in Phase 1c.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines “essential workers” in 1c as people who work in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing, construction, finance, information technology and communications, energy, legal, media, and public health workers. Illinois released a similar definition in March 2020, when the stay-at-home order went into effect.
When Phase 1c begins, there are three ways you might get access to a vaccine through your employer:
An employer can enroll to become a vaccinator for its staff.
An employer can partner with a third-party vaccinator, such as a local hospital, community clinic, or pharmacy.
Businesses with fewer than 250 employees can register with the city to give their employees access to appointments at one of the mass vaccinations sites (called PODs, or points of dispensing) run by the Chicago Department of Health.
You’ll also be able to go directly to your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
But if you try any of those avenues right now, you will likely be denied.
Scenario 6 — None of the above, 65+
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
People age 65 and older are in Phase 1b, which started on Jan. 25, 2021.
You are at much greater risk for serious complications due to COVID-19. Chronic breathing and heart problems increase the risk even more.
Contact your primary care doctor or local pharmacy to make an appointment. You can also search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 7 — None of the above, 16-64, underlying health conditions
You’ll be eligible starting March 29, 2021.
People 16 to 64 years old with underlying health conditions are in Phase 1c. If you live outside of Cook County, you might get access to a vaccine as early as Feb. 25, 2021, under recent guidance from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Seek a vaccination through your primary care provider. If you don’t have one, visit your local pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
But if you try any of those avenues right now, you will likely be denied.
Scenario 8 — None of the above, age 16-64
You will be eligible as early as May 31, 2021.
People 16 to 64 years old with no underlying health conditions are in phase 2, the last of four phases.
Sorry to inform you, but you’re last in line — behind medical professionals, first responders, essential workers, anyone 65 and older and people with underlying conditions that put them at risk of a serious COVID-19 infection.
However, as more doses or new vaccines become available, public health officials may bump up priority groups. Both the state’s and Chicago’s public health departments have said they intend to target vaccines to communities suffering disproportionately from COVID-19, including communities of color.
Once eligible, contact your primary care provider, visit a pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
But if you try any of those avenues right now, you will likely be denied.
Scenario 9 - None of the above, Residential (Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities, Behavioral health residential facilities, Developmentally disabled residential facilities)
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Residents in congregate living settings that provide medical care, such as nursing homes or facilities for the developmentally disabled, are in Phase 1a, which started on Dec. 15 , 2020.
Because living in such places often limits mobility, CVS and Walgreens partnered with the federal government to bring the vaccines to you. If that on-site vaccination opportunity has passed, contact your primary care provider.
If you’re doing vaccine research for a friend or relative, check with the residence’s administrative office to ask about on-site vaccination or other provided options. Qualifying residences include assisted living, skilled nursing and behavioral health facilities, and group homes for people with developmental disabilities.
If the eligible person must venture out, vaccinations are available at local pharmacies and community clinics. You can also search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Secnario 10 - None of the above, Congregate setting (Homeless shelters, women’s shelters, adult day care programs, correctional settings, and other non-health care residential settings that have experienced outbreaks (e.g. convents)
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Residents of crowded congregate living settings, such as homeless shelters and jails, are in Phase 1b, which started on Jan. 25, 2021.
You will likely be able to get a vaccine where you live. The Chicago Department of Public Health is sending out small teams to administer vaccines in homeless shelters and other vulnerable residential settings.
You can also go directly to your primary care provider, visit a local pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 11 — 0-16, no underlying health condition
You are not eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Why not? Clinical trials for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines did not include young children. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for the Moderna vaccine for use in people 18 and older; the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for use in people 16 and older.
So if you are 16 or 17 years old, you may receive the Pfizer vaccine but not the one from Moderna — at least not yet. Trials with children 12 and older are currently underway, and Pfizer hopes to enroll children ages 5 to 12 later this year. Scientists predict that toddlers and babies won’t be cleared for vaccination until 2022 at the earliest.
Scenario 12 — Chicago Public Schools
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Chicago Department of Public Health is allocating 1,500 vaccines per week for Chicago Public Schools employees and contractors who work in the school district, such as janitors. Look for a notification to schedule your appointment via email from CPS directly.
Staff are required to bring one of the following as proof of employment: CPS ID badge, professional license number or certificate, CPS pay stub or insurance card. Vaccinations will take place at these four high schools:
You should know: Staff are being prioritized based on the amount of time they have spent in-person at schools since the beginning of the current school year. For example, clerks and principals, who have been in buildings most of the year, are in line before high school teachers, who are still teaching remotely.
CPS employees may also go directly to a primary care provider, visit a local pharmacy or community clinic, or search for available appointments on Zocdoc, which is partnering with the city to centralize scheduling among providers throughout the Chicago area.
Scenario 13 — Yes, resident of a Protect Chicago Plus community.
You are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Eligibility is being extended to every resident of these 15 communities, regardless of whether you qualify under another priority group. But the vaccinations are being distributed on a staggered schedule, which started with Belmont Cragin on Feb. 13, 2021. For the remaining neighborhoods, here’s the estimated timetable:
Mid-February: Gage Park, Little Village, North Lawndale
Late February: Englewood, Montclare, West Englewood
Early March: Archer Heights, Austin, Back of the Yards
Mid-March: Roseland, South Deering, Washington Heights
Late March: Chicago Lawn, Humboldt Park
These communities will receive specific allocations of vaccines, distributed through a lead health care provider at a pop-up vaccination site. But, there is no public list of sites and also no centralized way to book appointments.
Our recommendation: Ask around in the neighborhood because dozens of community organizations are partnering with the city to help book appointments and verify residency.
You should also know that this eligibility status will not allow you to book a vaccine appointment through your care primary care provider, local pharmacy or community clinic simply by virtue of your ZIP code. Those avenues will only work for people who also qualify as members of eligible priority groups, such as people 65 and older, or health care and frontline essential workers.
The 15 Chicago neighborhoods were determined by city officials to be the most at-risk and hardest hit by COVID-19. So, finally, if you don’t live in one of these neighborhoods, don’t try to get an appointment because the vaccine supply is very limited and you’ll be turned away.
