Here’s How To Get Vaccinated In Chicago And Illinois

Universal eligibility is here! Use this guide to find vaccination appointments in the city, Cook County and downstate.

United Center mass vaccination site
Inside the United Center’s tented vaccination site in Chicago. Photographed on March 8, 2021. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
United Center mass vaccination site
Inside the United Center’s tented vaccination site in Chicago. Photographed on March 8, 2021. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ

Here’s How To Get Vaccinated In Chicago And Illinois

Universal eligibility is here! Use this guide to find vaccination appointments in the city, Cook County and downstate.

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If you’re confused about how to schedule an appointment, you’re not alone. The process has been opaque, and securing an appointment has been difficult for many. On April 12, Illinois moved to universal eligibility for adult residents, unleashing a new surge of demand even as the supply of doses to the state increases weekly.

So, where to start?

To help, WBEZ has assembled a list of registration websites for vaccination locations statewide, organized by proximity to Chicago. Unless noted otherwise, all sites shown here offer appointments to any vaccine-eligible Illinois resident. Anecdotally, we’ve heard that calling for an appointment at a mass vaccination site has been faster than booking online through Zocdoc. 

City of Chicago

Although hospitals and pharmacies in Chicago are vaccinating nonresidents, Chicago’s public health department with Mayor Lori Lightfoot are limiting access to city-run mass vaccination sites primarily to residents. Check the city’s list of acceptable documents to prove Chicago residency. Many of these sites have additional geographic restrictions and/or eligibility priorities. Starting April 23, all Chicago locations are accepting walk-ins, subject to vaccine availability.

  • Apostolic Faith Church (3823 S. Indiana Ave.): All Chicago residents 18 and older can get vaccinated here and appointments for the general public will be offered via Zocdoc or by calling 312-746-4835. The city is also prioritizing people who live in 60609, 60615, 60616, 60617, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60628, 60629, 60632, 60633, 60636, 60637, 60638, 60643, 60649, 60652, 60653, 60655 and 60827. Those residents can sign up at https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/htb3c/.

  • Chicago State University (Emil & Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center, 9501 S. King Drive): Run by Howard Brown Health and CORE, this South Side site is only open to city residents of these ZIP codes: 60609, 60615, 60616, 60617, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60628, 60629, 60632, 60633, 60636, 60637, 60638, 60643, 60649, 60652, 60653, 60655 and 60827. Appointments are required; register here or call 312-746-4835.

  • Richard J. Daley College (7500 S. Pulaski Rd.): All Chicago residents 18 and older can get vaccinated here, and appointments for the general public will be released over Zocdoc or by calling 312-746-4835. Residents of the following ZIP codes can make appointments at https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/w99st: 60609, 60615, 60616, 60617, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60628, 60629, 60632, 60633, 60636, 60637, 60638, 60643, 60649, 60652, 60653, 60655 and 60827.

  • Kennedy-King College (6301 S. Halsted St.): This vaccination site is only serving Englewood and West Englewood residents 18 and older. The city has not yet provided a public registration link.

  • Loretto Hospital (645 S. Central Ave.): The city is running a vaccination site at the embattled West Side hospital, but it is only open to Austin residents. Appointments for Austin residents are at: https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/9jft8.

  • Union members (International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399, 2260 S. Grove St.): All members of unions under the Chicago Federation of Labor umbrella qualify, even if you live outside the city, and can schedule appointments online.

  • United Center (1724 W. Madison St.): All Chicago residents 18 and older are eligible and may schedule via Zocdoc.com/vaccine or at https://events.juvare.com/chicago/UCPOD using code CHIZIPVAX21; to book an appointment by phone, call 312-746-4835 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, or 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Some appointments are available for Cook County residents, and those can be booked by calling 833-308-1988 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, and between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday.

  • Wrigley Field (American Airlines Conference Center, 1119 W. Waveland Ave.): Inside Gallagher Way next to the ballpark, Advocate Aurora is running a mass vaccination site open only to city residents 18 and older. Appointments are required; register via Zocdoc.com/vaccine or call 312-746-4835. The Pfizer vaccine is being administered and will require a second dose appointment at this site.

Chicago region

Cook County operates a handful of smaller vaccination sites designed to target certain populations. According to the governor’s office, on April 12 these sites will open to all Illinois residents 16 and older. Register online or call 833-308-1988 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday) for an appointment:

  • Arlington Heights: Arlington Heights Health Center (3250 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights)

  • Blue Island: Blue Island Health Center (12757 S. Western Ave., Blue Island)

  • Cicero: Morton East School Base Clinic (2423 S. Austin Blvd., Cicero)

  • Ford Heights: Cottage Grove Health Center (1645 Cottage Grove Ave., Ford Heights)

  • North Riverside: North Riverside Health Center (1800 S. Harlem Ave., North Riverside)

  • Robbins: Robbins Health Center (13450 S. Kedzie Ave., Robbins)

These six state-run mass vaccination sites, located in Cook County, are currently open to any eligible Illinois resident. Register online or call 833-308-1988 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday) for an appointment. All sites are accepting walk-ins:

  • Des Plaines: Former K-Mart (1155 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines)

  • Forest Park: Former HOBO (7600 Roosevelt Road, Forest Park)

  • Matteson: Former Target (4647 Promenade Way, Matteson). 

  • River Grove: Triton College (2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove)

  • South Holland: South Suburban College (15800 State St., South Holland)

  • Tinley Park: Tinley Park Convention Center (18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park).


DeKalb County: Register online.

  • DeKalb: NIU Convocation Center (1525 W. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb)


DuPage County: Register online.

  • Wheaton: DuPage County Fairgrounds, Building 1 (2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton)


Kane County: Register online or call 855-452-6382.

  • Aurora: Former Carson’s (970 N. Lake St., Aurora)

  • Batavia: Former Sam’s Club (501 N. Randall Road, Batavia)


Lake County: Register online.

  • Grayslake: Lake County Fairgrounds (1060 E. Peterson Road, Grayslake)

  • Waukegan: Community Based Testing Center (102 W. Water St., Waukegan)

Downstate

Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office has created a web-based tool to search for vaccination locations near you. However, the tool doesn’t provide eligibility requirements.

All vaccine-eligible Illinois residents can use the Illinois Department of Health’s online registration website to book an appointment at one of these state-run mass vaccination sites. In the list below, we’ve included links to individual health department websites in counties that have already moved to vaccinating all adults; scheduling directly through them may be your fastest route.

  • Belleville: Belle-Clair Fairgrounds (200 S. Belt E #2650, Belleville). Appointments must be made through the St. Clair County Health Department; schedule online or call 618-825-4447.

  • Bloomington: Grossinger Motors Arena (101 S. Madison St., Bloomington)

  • Carbondale: Banterra Center (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale)

  • Carbondale: Carbondale Civic Center (200 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale)

  • Collinsville: The Gateway Convention Center (1 Gateway Drive, Collinsville). Schedule an appointment online or call 618-650-8445.

  • Danville: Danville Community College (2000 E. Main St., Danville)

  • Danville: Vermilion Regional Airport (22633 N. Bowman Avenue, Danville)

  • Joliet: Former Toys ‘R’ Us (3128 Voyager Lane, Joliet)

  • Morris: Shabbona Middle School (725 School St., Morris)

  • Milan: Camden Centre (2701 First St. E., Milan)

  • Quincy: Oakley Lindsey Center (300 Civic Center Plaza, Quincy)

  • Rockford: In Rockford, an old K-Mart in Winnebago County has been recast as a vaccination site. Schedule an appointment online (click on “Step 1: Register For COVID-19 Vaccine”) or call 815-720-4000.

  • Springfield: The Illinois State Fairgrounds (Orr Building, Springfield). Book an appointment for this location through the Sangamon County Health Department or by calling 217-210-8801.

  • Woodstock: Former K-Mart (1900 N. Richmond Ave., Woodstock)

Pharmacies

Pharmacies within national or regional drug and grocery stores will let you search for open appointments at all participating locations, and many eligible Chicagoans report having luck finding open slots this way. Each pharmacy has its own requirements for proof of identity, so read your appointment instructions carefully. Required identification may include a work or state ID, proof of employment, consent forms, confirmation emails and/or your insurance information.

Hospitals, clinics and private-practice physicians

Since vaccines are in limited supply, many hospitals and smaller health-care facilities — including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, UChicago Medicine, AMITA Health and Oak Street Health — are notifying eligible patients directly and do not offer a sign-up process. Some private-practice physicians have vaccines, too, so ask yours.

Although most hospitals are only vaccinating patients right now, a few have opened their supply to the public. For example, Rush University Medical Center will vaccinate people outside of its patient population who meet these criteria; go online to schedule a vaccination at Rush or call 888-352-7874.

There are many more hospitals offering vaccination statewide. Search for locations in your city.

Finally, urgent care clinics — such as Physicians Immediate Care — also have limited vaccine supplies.

Vivian McCall is a freelance reporter. WBEZ reporters Becky Vevea and Mariah Woelfel contributed.