Aurora partners with Walgreens for 3rd one-day mass vaccination site at old Carson Pirie Scott building
AURORA (WLS) -- For a third time, Aurora officials opened a one-day mass vaccination site on Saturday.
Thousands waited in line to get the shot.
"I want it as fast as I can get it honestly," said Ben Phillips.
MASS VAX AURORA took over the former Carson Pirie Scott building. It opened it's doors at 8 a.m. for the inoculation event which continues until 5 p.m.
Aurora partnered with Walgreens to provide roughly 2,000 residents with the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
"It's an exciting development but our position on all the vaccines is they're all life preservers at this point," said Alex Alendrou, Aurora Chief Management Officer. "So I think people have been very grateful to get whatever we can get our hands on and distribute to our community because we really need it."
The mass vaccination effort comes as critics question the equity of how vaccines are being distributed to the most vulnerable and just a week before city officials launch LATINvaX AURORA.
The March 19th initiative is slated to provide 750 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Aurora's Latinx community.
"We're going to have these events week after week, as long as we can find the vaccine, we're looking forward to continuing our partnership with Walgreens and making sure we get shots in arms and get our community healthy," said Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin.
City officials said Aurora residents will have other opportunities to get vaccinated. Two more vaccination sites are set to open in Will County.
"I've been waiting to get this, I work in child care so everyday we're kind of exposed and I wanted to be safe," said Meghan Eisgurber. "I'm just glad to get the one and be done."
