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Lake County Health Department to offer drive-thru COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment

Appointments can be made through AllVax for those in Phase 1A

By Lake County Journal

Vials of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 are lined up in preparation for vaccinations at Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center in Downers Grove on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

WAUKEGAN -- The Lake County Health Department announced that starting the week of Jan. 18, they will begin providing COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment through AllVax at the Lake County Fairgrounds located at 1060 E. Peterson Road in Grayslake.

The new venue provides a convenient, central location in the county for residents to receive their vaccine, while providing a warmer environment for those administering the vaccine.

Currently, vaccinations are only available by appointment through AllVax for those in Phase 1A: Frontline Healthcare Workers and Long-term Care Facility Residents and Staff.

“This move to the Lake County Fairgrounds will expand our capacity to vaccinate people in Lake County and allows us to continue this important work during the coldest part of the year,” Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said in a news release. “To date, over 19,000 people have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Lake County, and we are utilizing our existing and new partnerships to expand the number of providers across the county who can vaccinate the public throughout the next phases.”

In order to receive a vaccine from the Lake County Health Department, you must be registered on the AllVax Portal and have a confirmed appointment. When the Health Department receives a shipment of vaccine doses, a limited number of people who are eligible to receive the vaccine are notified to schedule an appointment through the AllVax system.

Anyone who lives or works in Lake County may sign up to be notified of when it’s their turn to be vaccinated by registering at AllVax.lakecohealth.org.

Those who may not have access to a computer are encouraged call the AllVax support team at 847-377-8130. Due to high call volume, you may experience longer than usual hold times. If you leave a voicemail, the AllVax support team will return your call as soon as possible. People who are already registered can log on at any time to update their registration information.

“The Lake County Fairgrounds & Expo Center stands as a community center and provides an important function in times of community need,” said Jon Brodzik, general manager, Lake County Fair Association. “Opening the fairgrounds to provide a destination for vaccinations is one of the ways that we can help serve our community while helping to beat COVID-19 and get everyone back to a sense of normalcy.”

To learn more about the State of Illinois vaccine distribution phases, please visit https://www.dph.illinois.gov/sites/default/file