COVID 19 vaccine

COVID vaccine boosters available from Cook County at pop up clinics Sunday

Saturday, December 11, 2021

COVID booster shots available from county Sunday

COVID vaccine booster shots are available to residents of Cook County at three pop up events this Sunday.

COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Illinois' top doctor is pushing everyone to get booster shots at events across Cook County Sunday, warning that the pandemic is not over and hospitalizations are on the rise across the state, especially in Will and Kankakee counties.

"We're hoping that's a convenient time when people can take a break from their holiday shopping to just walk-in and get their booster," said Dr. Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Public Health. "We want everyone to be in the best state before they do all this mixing and mingling and gathering, and we want people to be as safe as possible."

Booster shots with be available Sunday at various locations in Cook County between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the state's top doctor wants people to take advantage. "Anybody over the age of 16 can get boosted. It's available, and again, we have sites in Cook County that will be available free of charge, no appointment necessary from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.," she said.

With the holidays and upcoming gatherings, health officials want as many people as possible fully vaccinated. Dr. Ezike is also concerned that Covid metrics are surging, like hospitalizations. As of Thursday night, more than 3,257 people are hospitalized, and that's the highest number since January 20, 2021.

"If the trend continues following like it is, the region of Will and Kankakee - Region 7 - could be completely out of ICU beds within days," Dr. Ezike said.

Dr. Ezike is sounding the alarm, saying it's a two-fold problem. "Staff burnout and people not being in place at their jobs anymore, coupled with the large amount of people that are getting very sick," she said.

Right now, the state health department reports that 90% of hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.

Dr. Ezike said masks remain critical to contain the spread of the virus. Governor Pritzker was surrounded by masked people at an unrelated event Thursday afternoon. Aside from the state's indoor mask mandate, the governor said he does not expect additional mitigations on the state level.

"Local governments, county governments should certainly look at stricter mitigations, if they feel in there area that is warranted," Gov. Pritzker said.

Lastly, state health officials planned to meet with home health agencies Friday, asking them to administer monoclonal antibodies. If you have a mild case, Dr. Ezike said you should act quickly before you need oxygen or hospitalization.

"If you are early in the infection," she said, "but you know, oh my goodness, because of my age, because I'm not vaccinated, because of the medical conditions that I know put me at higher risk, I need to get that monoclonal antibody because I know it decreases my chance of heading into the hospital."