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  2021-03-26

  Participating in a Mass Vaccination Event

  I was excited to get my vaccine as soon as the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine. However, as a fairly healthy person who worked remotely, I was by no means going to be the first wave of vaccination. Truthfully, I thought I wouldn’t have a chance to get vaccinated until June or so, and I resigned myself to staying inside. In early March, I got an email from my school—the United Center was hosting a mass vaccination event, and they had more doses than the original target groups could use. I hurried to sign up. It filled quickly; I had a few friends tell me they were unable to get in. I was lucky, and I went to get my first dose near the end of March. Supposedly, Uber was offering free rides to/from the United Center (up to a certain amount, at least) for those seeking to get vaccinated. However, I kept getting error messages, so I made my way there by other methods. I panicked since I was almost late to my appointment for the first dose, but my worries faded when I arrived. The clinic volunteers kept the roped off lines going quickly and smoothly, though everyone was kept at least six feet apart. Once you’d been fully signed in—you showed your ID, your appointment voucher, got your temperature taken, and were issued an information packet—you waited to be sent to one of the FEMA people doing the vaccinating. I was called and got my first dose over with quickly and without any fuss, and then I was sent off to the tent where you waited to make sure you didn’t have any adverse side effects within the first 20 minutes. I was fine, so I went home with my vaccination card and instructions to return in 3 weeks. I returned 3 weeks later (in mid-April), and it went even more smoothly! They had worked out even more kinks, and everyone seemed relieved. While I’d been tired and a little sick a couple days after the first dose, the second one presented no problems. Later, I learned that a few of my friends were not only also part of the United Center mass vaccination event, but were there on the same days! I didn’t see them, but I’m not surprised given the efficiency of the process. Over the summer, the United Center’s vaccination program closed after it slowed significantly. So while I will be getting my booster shot soon, it won’t be as part of a mass vaccination endeavor. I’m a little reticent, simply because I don’t know what to expect from going to a pharmacy for it!
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  2021-02-26

  Illinois to open federal mass vaccination site at United Center

  Parking lots of the United Center will soon host a new mass vaccination site for Illinoisans. Gov. JB Pritzker says the site will have the capacity to give 6,000 doses of vaccine per day. The home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks will open as a vaccination site on March 10. But, construction is already underway. This will be one of the several community vaccination centers led by the Biden administration. Doses will come directly from the federal government instead of taking vaccine away from the allotment for the state and the city of Chicago. Leaders explained seniors will have exclusive access to appointments before the site officially opens. However, FEMA hasn’t set dates for those appointments at this time. Reporters asked how Pritzker could guarantee this facility would create easier access for those in need compared to wealthy Chicagoans. “In the city of Chicago, in Cook County, and across the state, we’ve all made and are continuing to make efforts to attract people of color to people who are most vulnerable to making those appointments, giving them access wherever we can. Having a site in a location like the United Center makes it more easily accessible,” Pritzker emphasized. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said rideshare service Uber will provide 20,000 free rides to help people get to the site. Information about scheduling appointments for vaccinations should become available in the coming days. “With this new site, we’ll now be able to take our vaccination success to a whole new level and bring to bear the historic and inclusive recovery that is soon to come,” Lightfoot explained. Getting Black and brown residents vaccinated Still, the state has a significant issue getting Black and Latinx Illinoisans vaccinated. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin explained a recent study showed minority neighborhoods in Chicago had a vaccination rate of 5%. The majority-white areas of Chicago currently report 13% of the population vaccinated. Durbin says the United Center site should help. “The faster we can get people vaccinated, the more quickly we can escape the grip that this pandemic has had on our nation for so long, the less likely we’re gonna see mutations and variations which we have to fight in different ways,” Durbin added. The Springfield native said the federal government could provide more help with vaccine distribution bypassing the American Rescue Plan. President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve the $1.9 trillion package with specific portions going to mass vaccination sites and $1,400 stimulus checks. Pritzker noted things are getting better in the long battle with COVID-19. “Someday not too far from now, we’ll be at the United Center not for a life-saving shot, but for a game-winning shot,” Pritzker said.