COVID-19 In Illinois: Full List Of Mass Vaccination Sites With More To Open Thursday; 2,104 New Coronavirus Cases, 44 More Deaths

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As Illinois continues ramping up COVID-19 vaccination efforts, key metrics continue to show encouraging progress in the fight against the virus.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,104 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, as well as 44 more deaths.

Gov. JB Pritzker's office announced the state is opening two new mass vaccination sites on Thursday: in Des Plaines, at the former K-Mart store at 1155 E. Oakton St.; and in Quincy, at the Oakley Lindsey Center at 300 Civic Center Plaza. The sites will be able to provide a nearly 4,000 doses per day combined when operating at full capacity.

Once those sites are open, Illinois will have a total of 18 state-run mass vaccination sites, as well as more than 850 other vaccination locations open to the public at pharmacies, clinics, and local health departments. The state also operates mobile vaccination teams to help reach rural and underserved communities.

Cook County officials said the Des Plaines site will be the first large-scale vaccination site administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Illinois. Cook County officials plan to provide as many as 3,500 vaccines per day there once it is fully up and running.

"This is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19 and providing all three FDA approved vaccines ensures that our residents are afforded every vaccine option currently available," said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a news release. "The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective in protecting people against severe illness and death. The fact that it is a one-dose vaccine is exciting as it allows people to protect themselves in just one visit."

The Des Plaines site will open either Friday or Saturday depending on when the vaccine arrives.

Mobile teams are currently operating in Cook, St. Clair, Sangamon, Jackson, Winnebago, and Madison counties. Gov. JB Pritzker also is activating additional members of the Illinois National Guard to support mobile vaccination efforts in seven counties in southern Illinois: Union, Johnson, Pope, hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, and Massic counties.

National Guard members also will help local health departments operate permanent vaccination sites across the state. As of Monday, more than 1,070 members of the National Guard were assisting with COVID-19 response efforts statewide.

Meantime, the state has averaged 84,202 vaccine doses administered per day over the past week, a 45% increase over the average of 58,141 one week ago.

So far, the state has received a total of 3,836,625 doses of vaccine since December, and has administered 2,900,341 doses. A total of 906,490 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, or 7.11% of the population.

Meantime, Illinois reported 2,104 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, as well as 44 more deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, IDPH has reported a total of 1,191,520 cases, including 20,626 deaths.

The state's seven-day average case positivity rate remains at 2.4% for the fifth day in a row, tied for the lowest it's been since June 23. The state's average case positivity rate has been below 3% for 17 days in a row, the longest such stretch reported so far during the pandemic.

As of Tuesday night, 1,260 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Illinois, including 275 in the ICU and 138 on ventilators. COVID-19 hospitalizations have been cut nearly in half in the past month, and are down nearly 80% from their peak last fall.

If you qualify for a vaccine and are trying to find an appointment, here are some links to help you: (We have to caution you, it may be difficult to find an available shot in the near future and near your home, but we did want to share all these links in one place to perhaps make it easier for you.)

Wal-Mart | Walgreens | CVS | Jewel-Osco | Kroger | Mariano's | Meijer | Zocdoc | Hy-Vee | Illinois Department Of Public Health | Indiana Health Department

All 18 Illinois mass vaccination sites listed below are open to anyone in Illinois who meets current eligibility requirements (frontline healthcare workers, residents and staff at long-term care facilities, people age 65 and older, frontline essential workers, and anyone who is 16 or older and has a serious underlying health condition). You must first make an appointment through the local health department where the mass vaccination site is located.

In:
• Illinois Department of Public Health