:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/sandbox.shawmedia/YCXN5KBGVK4XFYSWS5XEAV7ZHU.jpg)
Here is the latest on where we at Shaw Local are finding vaccine appointments today:
11:15 a.m. There just weren’t many times this morning for people to book appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. Select Walgreens showed availability on its website but follow-up checks on the site approximately 15 minutes later revealed that appointments were no longer being taken. At around 10:45 a.m. the Walgreens in Cary, Crystal Lake and Carpentersville were taking appointments but at last check, they were not. Kroger appears to be taking appointments for those who qualify at https://www.kroger.com/i/coronavirus-update/vaccine.
10:45 a.m. During a morning where it’s been difficult to find any openings for appointments, Carpentersville’s two Walgreens stores are taking appointments as of 10:45 a.m. this morning at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening.
9:52 a.m. We’re seeing some openings for appointments at select Walgreens around the area, but the window hasn’t been open too long. The Walgreens pharmacies in Bolingbrook and Joliet were taking appointments less than 30 minutes ago at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening for those who qualify, but no longer have appointments available. None of the Jewel-Osco stores in the Shaw Local area have any openings, but we will continue to check back later in case availability does open.
9:15 a.m. Walgreens in Bolingbrook and Joliet are taking appointments right now. Visit https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening to see if you qualify.
8:04 a.m. We’ve seen a few Walgreens that were taking appointments this morning, including in Lake in the Hills, St. Charles and Sugar Grove, but none of these locations are currently taking any longer this morning. https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening. Additionally, none of the CVS locations in the Shaw Local area, including Mendota, are taking appointments as of this time.
7:23 a.m. The Lake in Hills Walgreens (100 N. Randall Rd.,) is taking appointments according to https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening.
6:15 a.m.: Walgreens is reporting at https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening that it does not have COVID-19 vaccination appointments available at any of its locations within our coverage area today. This could be a trend we are seeing as yesterday Walgreens reported the same thing early in the morning before announcing that it was scheduling appointments for those who qualified. Initial reports also are negative from Jewel-Osco locations regarding availability. We’ll keep monitoring this situation closely to keep you up to date.
Kane County is opening its mass vaccination site on Friday in Batavia. Here is what you need to know about it.
As COVID-19 vaccine rollout inches forward, pharmacies throughout Illinois are stepping up to address a growing demand for appointment access. Here’s what we know so far about which pharmacies are offering appointments, and how to get one.
Registration portals vary by pharmacy and location.
To date, there are 18 Hy-Vee location offering vaccine appointments in Illinois, four CVS locations, 123 Jewel-Osco locations, 24 Kroger locations, 30 Mariano’s locations, eight Meijer locations, 20 Walmart locations and 517 Walgreens locations.
County health departments
You can also register through your county health department, which will notify you when it’s your turn to receive the vaccine and offer you dates or times when it becomes available for you.
In McHenry County, register here.
In Kane County, register here.
In Kendall County, register here.
In DeKalb County, register here.
In Lee County, register here.
In La Salle County, register here.
In Bureau, Putnam and Marshall counties, register here.
In Lake County, register here.
In Will County, register here.
In DuPage County, register here.
In Grundy County, register here.
Northwestern Medicine
If you’re a registered patient of Northwestern Medicine Heath System, you can register if you meet eligibility for Phase 1B.
Northwestern Medicine is holding appointment-only vaccine clinics for patients who are 65 years or older and are registered with the health system. Established patients who have a MyNM account will receive an email inviting them to schedule, according to a recent news release. Those who do not have a MyNM account will be contacted by phone, text message or email.
Vaccinations are scheduled on a week-by-week basis dependent on vaccine availability.
Phase 1b includes: those age 65 and older, first responders, day care workers, corrections officers and inmates, food and agriculture workers, postal service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, educators and support staff, shelters and adult day care workers and those age 65 and younger with high-risk medical issues. Priority groups are designated by health departments in accordance with federal government protocols.
Hy-Vee pharmacy:
Head to www.hy-vee.com/my-pharmacy/covid-vaccine-consent. The form will ask you to put in your zip code or city, and give you possible locations up to 20 miles away. If it says “No appointments available,” you need to try again another time.
Be ready with some documentation, too.
Though the COVID-19 vaccine is free to all, some locations ask for your health insurance card information if you have it, as locations will bill that first (you will not receive an individual bill). If you don’t have insurance, that’s OK, the vaccine is covered by a federal grant, said Christina Gayman, director of public relations with Hy-Vee corporate, based in Des Moines, Iowa.
You will also need to bring with you a photo ID to show your age or a work badge of some kind to show proof of employment for eligibility since Illinois is still in Phase 1B.
You do not need to be a customer of Hy-Vee or a pharmacy patient to sign up for an appointment.
Jewel-Osco pharmacy:
Go to https://www.mhealthappointments.com/covidappt and put in your zip code.
Click the box if you are health care worker, long-term care resident, age 65+ or an essential worker outlined in Phase 1B.
You will need to have handy: proof of insurance, medical license if applicable, photo ID or driver’s license, proof of employment and last four digits of your Social Security Number.
An automatic questionnaire will ask if you are registering for your first dose, and offer a location. The drop-down menu will show a calendar, though you cannot move forward in the process if it says “no appointments are available.”
Another added feature includes a countdown clock, which counts down from 5 minutes as users attempt to sign up for an appointment.
Meijer pharmacy:
There are two three ways to complete a pre-registration:
2. You can also text “COVID” to 75049 to receive updates directly to your phone. When appointments become available you will receive a text with the option to accept, defer or be removed from the list.
Kroger and Mariano’s
For more information on Kroger’s vaccine rollout, go to https://www.kroger.com/rx/guest/get-vaccinated.
The website comes with a disclaimer that “we’ve received a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine in select areas,” and will ask you for location information. If an appointment time is available, it will ask you to input patient information, basic medical details and sign a vaccine consent form.
Walgreens pharmacy:
To create an account or log into your Walgreens.com pharmacy account and begin your registration process, go to www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination.
Complete a short eligibility screening. If you’re eligible, select a location and time. You’ll be able to schedule both dose 1 and 2 of vaccine at the same time, according to the website. If you feel ill the day of your vaccination, you’re asked to reschedule.
You will need to arrive 15 minutes early and bring the following to your appointment:
- Your appointment confirmation email
- Your COVID-19 Vaccination Authorization Code (if applicable)
- Your state ID, valid driver’s license or other government-issued ID
- Your medical, pharmacy benefit or medicare insurance card
- Download, print and complete the vaccination consent form. If you don’t bring the completed form, you will need to complete it at the pharmacy before your vaccination.