Aurora opens 2nd mass COVID vaccine site in a week at old Carson Pirie Scott building
AURORA, Ill. (WLS) -- Another mass vaccination site opens its doors in Aurora for the second time in a week.
A long line wrapped around the city of Aurora's largest COVID-19 vaccination site Monday as 2,400 people received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"Clearly the demand is higher than the supply," Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said. "You can see today with the long lines folks are looking to get vaccinated and want to get back to their normal lives."
For many, the process of finding a vaccination site in the state has been complicated.
"We had been looking for ways to sign up," said Carrie Guerro. "We signed up through the Kane County Health Department and we have not been able to get one."
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After hours of research, Carrie Guerro's family, including her 88-year-old parents, got the shot.
"We will continue to be extra careful, but this secures peace of mind," Guerro said.
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The newest site, the old Carson Pirie Scott on North Lake Street, is the second to open this week in Aurora. Most people were in and out in less than an hour.
"I was scared but I still showed up because I love my family and grandkids and I want to get back with them soon," said Kevin King, who received his first dose on Monday.
Mayor Irvin, who battled the virus himself, said he and his team worked to secure thousands of doses on their own. This time, Jewel Osco pulled through.
"We want to take our destiny into our own hands," Irvin said. "We didn't want to wait for the feds or the state to tell us when we were going to get our residents vaccinated."
Illinois' second largest city is still searching for more doses of the vaccine.
Time is of the essence.
"We plan to do this weekly, based on the supply of the vaccine," Irvin said. "We are going to search high and low. And everytime we find supply, we will get an event like this."
