COVID-19 Vaccination Information

The Oak Park Department of Public Health has been designated a COVID-19 vaccine provider and is receiving doses directly from the state. Allocation of the vaccine is determined by protocols outlined by state officials at Illinois Department of Public Health and federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Effective Jan. 25, individuals in Phase 1a and Phase 1b of the state vaccine distribution plan are eligible for vaccination. This includes health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, individuals age 65 and older and frontline essential workers.

More details about vaccination plans for specific priority groups are listed below:

Certain groups such as healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities received the first allocations of vaccine. As more vaccine becomes available, additional priority groups such as first responders, frontline essential workers, individuals age 65 and older and individuals at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness are being designated by IDPH and CDC to receive the vaccine. Eventually, the vaccine will be offered to all Oak Park residents who want it.

Priorities for who gets vaccinated and when are based on a phased strategy established by the Illinois Department of Public Health with preliminary guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The current strategy, which could change based on CDC and ACIP guidance, is as follows:

• Phase 1: Limited/scarce supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses available. Focus initial efforts on reaching critical populations. Ensure vaccination locations selected can reach populations, manage cold chain requirements, and meet reporting requirements for vaccine supply and uptake. Vaccine administration strategies in phase 1, is broken into three (3) sub-phases:
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  • Phase 1a: Health care personnel, long-term care facility residents. As of Jan. 26, 2021, the Village of Oak Park continues to vaccinate in this phase.
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  • Phase 1b:
    • Individuals age 65 and older and front-line essential workers. As of Jan. 26, 2021, the Village of oak Park is vaccinating in this phase.
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  • Phase 1c:
    • Possible groups could include adults with high risk medical conditions and other essential workers.

    
    

• Phase 2: Larger number of vaccine doses available. Focus on ensuring access to vaccine for members of Phase 1 critical populations not yet vaccinated, extend efforts to reach Phase 2 critical populations.
  • Possible groups could include workers in industries, occupations important to the functioning of society and people with moderate comorbid conditions.
     
• Phase 3: Vaccine supply even more widely available.
  • More guidance to come pending ACIP recommendations, but possible groups could include children (if a pediatric vaccine is approved/available) and young adults, ages 18-30.
     
• Phase 4: Sufficient supply of vaccine doses are available for the entire population. The focus of this phase is on ensuring everyone who qualifies and needs or wants a COVID-19 vaccine receives the requested vaccine at no cost via the following distribution strategy:
  • Federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, private providers and pharmacies will assume the majority of the vaccination efforts in this phase.
  • Local health departments will focus vaccination efforts toward the most vulnerable residents, such as homeless populations with limited access to care. IDPH also will use mobile health units as needed or requested. More guidance to come pending ACIP recommendations.

Click here for a detailed explanation of the state distribution plan

Oak Park residents who are health care workers and qualify to be vaccinated in Phase 1a, but are not being vaccinated through their employers, may email covid19vaccine@oak-park.us to indicate their interest in being vaccinated. If you are an Oak Park resident and have recently received a letter from Illinois Department of Human Services as a home health care worker, please email covid19vaccine@oak-park.us with a copy of the letter to indicate your interest in being vaccinated.

The Health Department will then provide further information about registering to be vaccinated.

Second dose information

• Individuals who have already received a first vaccine dose through a clinic hosted by the Oak Park Department of Public Health will be contacted by the Health Department to schedule an appointment for their second dose based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.
   
• The Oak Park Health Department cannot guarantee a second vaccine dose to individuals who received their first dose outside Oak Park.

Some 12,000 Oak Park residents and essential workers who live or are employed here are eligible in Phase 1b. This phase includes those 65 years old and older, teachers, licensed daycare staff, grocery store clerks, pharmacy workers, transit employees, mail carriers and delivery drivers.

With current vaccine supplies from the state averaging only about 900 doses or fewer per week, officials say it could take months to vaccinate just those newly eligible in Phase 1b – not counting the required second doses many Phase 1a workers are now receiving.

The Health Department is not keeping a waiting list for Phase 1b. Emailing or calling the Health Department will not result in receiving the vaccine sooner.

The Health Department intends to reach out to residents directly or through their employers – and in some instances housing managers – with information about when they may register for a vaccine clinic.

Partnerships are being forged with local pharmacies, doctor offices and health care providers to broaden the availability of vaccination services across the community. Just how effective these partnerships can be will depend on the availability of vaccine.

Current Phase 1b priority: For two weeks starting Jan. 26, Village efforts will focus on seniors 65 years old and older who are residents of local congregate homes that are not eligible for vaccination through the state and federal program for long-term health care facilities. These local congregate homes house many senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, and have been hotspots for outbreaks of the highly-contagious virus.

See below for specific information for priority groups within Phase 1b:

For two weeks starting the week of Jan. 25, Village efforts will focus on seniors 65 years old and older who are residents of local congregate homes that are not eligible for vaccination through the state and federal program for long-term health care facilities. These local congregate homes include house many senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, and have been hotspots for outbreaks of the highly-contagious virus.

The Health Department intends to begin reaching out directly to Phase 1b eligible residents age 65 and older on February 1 with information about scheduling their vaccinations locally.

Starting the week of February 8, vaccinations will move beyond congregate senior housing to Oak Park residents 65 and older. The number of seniors scheduled to receive a vaccine each week will depend on the vaccine supply that typically is not known more than a week in advance.

Officials say they will use existing Village databases as a starting point to begin communicating with residents.  Special efforts also will be made to reach renters who qualify and those living in multigenerational Oak Park homes to make sure they have opportunities to sign up to be vaccinated as well.

Once clinics are scheduled, eligible participants will be required to show proof of age and Oak Park residency to be vaccinated.

Vaccinating educators, child care workers

Vaccinations of educators, including teachers and child care workers, could begin as early as the week of February 15.

Local health officials are working directly with administrators in the public school districts and private schools to plan vaccination clinics for their staffs.

Outreach to local licensed daycare centers is expected to start on February 1 to ensure this important group of workers is included in vaccination clinic planning concurrent with the school system.

Officials caution that the supply of vaccine will determine how long it may take to vaccinate Oak Park school teachers and workers in local licensed childcare centers.

Vaccinating essential workers

Vaccinating the men and women who provide essential services to the community is part of the Phase 1b planning and could begin by February 15 as well. These include clerks in grocery stores and pharmacies, transit workers, mail carriers and delivery drivers who live or work here, but aren’t being vaccinated by their employers.

The Oak Park Health Department is working with major employers to identify their eligible workers and arrange targeted vaccination clinics as vaccine supplies allow.

Residents who are essential workers, but not affiliated with Oak Park institutions, and cannot receive a vaccination from their employer will be incorporated into this stage of local planning.    

The Oak Park Department of Public Health posts general information to this webpage about the number of doses and their distribution. Information is subject to change.

Click here for vaccine allocation details

Health officials say that getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to prevent contracting the virus. Getting vaccinated also may protect others around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

While receiving the COVID-19 vaccine will not be mandatory, health officials see the vaccine as a critical tool for ending the pandemic and strongly urge residents to become vaccinated when it becomes available. Safety is a top priority, and officials say no steps have been skipped during the clinical trial process for COVID-19 vaccines, safety checks are in progress and will continue as long as a vaccine is available.

COVID-19 vaccines are being developed as quickly as possible, but routine processes and procedures have remained in place to ensure the safety of any vaccine that is approved for use.

• About the vaccination program
• About the vaccines
• Benefits of getting vaccinated
• Ensuring vaccine safety
• Frequently asked questions about the vaccine
• What to know about getting vaccinated 
• Who gets vaccinated first
• IDPH FAQs

• January 22, 2021 - Oak Park set to move into second phase of state COVID-19 vaccination plan
   
• January 14, 2021 - COVID-19 vaccination clinics for healtcare workers setting stage for wider distribution
   
• December 17, 2020 - Oak Park Health Department begins COVID-19 vaccine distribution
   
• December 14, 2020 - Health Department preparing to distribute vaccine

Oak Park residents with questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, may email covid19vaccine@oak-park.us. 

Oak Park residents who qualify in the first round (Phase1a), but are not being vaccinated through their employers, may email covid19vaccine@oak-park.us to indicate their interest in being vaccinated. The Health Department will then provide further registration information.

The Village of Oak Park is not accepting vaccine clinic registration via email or other communications tools.

A wide range of information about COVID-19 in Oak Park is posted on this website.