Some Chicago suburbs see vaccine turnaround with increasing supply
ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. - A boost in COVID-19 vaccine supply in Lake County is helping more residents get vaccinated this week.
A mass vaccination site at the Kmart on Rollins Road is taking walk-ins as well until 5 p.m.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available to anyone who lives or works in Lake County and is over 16.
Lake County health officials who let media tour the supersite say, as of Friday, appointments are still filling up unlike Will County, where they have more vaccines than people willing to get them.
Health officials say 24% of people in Will County are now fully vaccinated.
There is also a surplus of vaccine in Chicago where health officials said Friday walk-ups are welcome at all mass vaccination sites in the city.
In Round Lake Beach, Leonard Zielinski said he was happy to hear he could do the same here in Lake County.
"I was waiting for it to get easier. The problem is you go on the website and you get nowhere fast" he said. "So when I heard about this I drove right out."
Mark Pfister, executive director of the Lake County Health Department, said there are still plenty of people who want to get vaccinated here.
"Well, in Lake County we still have a lot of demand and lucky for us other counties are having less demand so we’re getting about three times the supply now then we did just a week ago," Pfister said.
Pfister says last week’s supply of 13,000 first doses shot up to 33,000 this week.
He said 25% are fully vaccinated. But the important number to Pfister is the 68% of people over age 65 who are fully vaccinated.
He said that’s led to a "drastic reduction in the number of deaths and hospitalizations."