'It Was Very Smooth': Walking In To The United Center's Mass Vaccination Site For A COVID Shot
CHICAGO (CBS) -- All mass COVID vaccination sites in the city of Chicago are now offering walk-up appointments.
But it seems as though not many people are taking advantage of the convenient offering.
CBS 2's Meredith Barack reports from the United Center where there haven't been big crowds, despite the ease of being able to walk right up.
"We really expected every tier that we hit, we expected a surge," said Philip Quick, Associate Vice President of Access and Capacity At Rush. "And this is the first time that we're not seeing that demand that we really expected."
So much so, Quick said Rush is seeing a 25% decrease in demand. And from Tinley Park, to Triton College, and all the way up in Lake County, all sites that now offer walk-up appointments. There were no long lines and plenty of empty parking spaces.
With more supply than ever before, are we seeing fewer people lining up?
"I think in the beginning of the pandemic and when we rolled out our vaccines, there was such unavailability and people still have that thought and that notion that there's just not availability," said Quick. "I still think there's fears about not having insurance and out-of-pocket expenses, which isn't an issue."
Just across I-290 at the United Center, there was a steady flow of people getting vaccines, but not an overwhelming amount. Alex Shaw said walking up for his first shot was a seamless process.
"There was like 20 people, but it was very smooth," Shaw said. "I never stopped for more than two seconds so it was very, very smooth."
Shaw said if you're someone who has been trying to find an appointment online, this might just be the move to make.
"If you just want to get it done with, I think this would be the best place."
You are still able to make appointments at several sites across the county, city, and at pharmacies. But after seeing how few people are utilizing walk-ups and how much supply is waiting to be used inside, walking up might just be the best way to save time and finally get your COVID vaccine.
