COVID-19 Illinois: Lake County mass vaccination site opens at fairgrounds for health care workers

GRAYSLAKE, Ill. (WLS) -- It's 65,000 square feet of open space under one roof, and with COVID-19 restrictions in place, nobody's using it these days.

The Lake County fairgrounds event center was transformed into a mass vaccination site and opened Tuesday for health care workers.

The vaccine supply is limited, but over 400 heath care workers were expected to get with the Pfizer or Moderna shot Tuesday.

A doctor was on site in case of any possible reactions after the injection.

The massive fairgrounds site will allow health officials to treat more people, efficiently in what they're calling a "drive-in, drive out" approach.
"We've been shuttered, so what better way to use the space than to vaccinate and get over COVID?" said Jon Brobzik Jr., general manager with the Lake County Fair Association.

The space has garage doors that will open to allow for drive-thru vaccination. They expect to line up about 40 cars at a time inside, with plenty of room for more outside.

"We'll be able to extend our hours ... so we can get a lot more people through in a timely manner, if we have vaccine supply," said Mark Pfister, executive director of the Lake County Health Department.

Around the country, they have already started using big locations like Dodger stadium for vaccination sites. Disneyland is also hosting vaccinations, allowing thousands of people to get the shot every day.

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In Lake County, Illinois, they have already administered nearly 20,000 doses, but they believe the fairgrounds site will allow them to get the shot to more people more quickly and efficiently.
Residents can register for the vaccine on the county's All Vax system website, and they'll be notified with an appointment time for their shot once they are eligible.

For the fair, there's extra incentive.

"It's a mutual benefit. We get everybody vaccinated and we get to open back up. So it's a win-win for everybody involved," Brobzik said.

North suburban officials plan to keep the site open at least through April.

The vaccination process takes 5 minutes at the fairgrounds. Almost 20,000 people have already received doses of the vaccine in Lake County.

There are still roughly 10,000 healthcare workers here in Lake County that will need to get the vaccine.