Tens of thousands sign up for vaccines at United Center site

Registration opened Thursday, March 4, for COVID-19 vaccine appointments at a new mass vaccination center located in the parking lots outside the United Center, with more than 27,000 residents signing up to receive the vaccine by mid-afternoon, according to city health officials.

The new site is expected to vaccinate 6,000 people daily beginning March 10, increasing the city's capacity level by more than 40 percent. First appointments will be available exclusively to seniors 65 and older, while Illinois residents eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1B+ can begin scheduling appointments at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 7.

The site will be open seven days a week for a minimum of eight weeks, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency supplying personnel and supplies. Appointments must be made online at zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling (312) 746-4835.

"This initiative is the direct result of our continued, citywide efforts to ensure that equity remains at the core of our vaccination strategy," Lightfoot said in a news release announcing the establishment of the center. "By working with partners like FEMA, Zocdoc, United Center and Uber, we will be able to take significant steps forward in our mission to vaccinate all of our residents. Though we are not yet out of the dark tunnel we've been in since COVID-19 first came to our city, programs like these have made the light at the end of it that much brighter."  

Last week, Uber announced it would provide 20,000 free rides available citywide to and from the new vaccine center, with credits provided for South Side and West Side residents to reduce equity gaps in access to the vaccine.