CHICAGO (CBS) — The last COVID-19 vaccines were given out Tuesday afternoon at the Cook County Health mass vaccination sites in Forest Park and Des Plaines. Those in Matteson will have until noon Wednesday to get a shot.
CBS 2’s Meredith Barack saw about 20 people go in and out of the building while she there Tuesday. The lack of demand comes just a few months after long lines outside mass vaccination sites.
A former Target in Matteson opened as a mass vaccination site on April 14. Four months and a few days later its doors will officially be closed as demand is waning.
“I’m in the health field, so I wanted to protect the seniors because I didn’t want to spread anything,” said Balencia Cobb.
Cobb, who suffers from kidney problems, said she she waited until now to get the vaccine because she was scared.
“I was making sure that everybody else wasn’t falling over, and now that I see that people haven’t fallen over I said, ‘OK, now I can get the shot,’” she said.
Malcom Prather said when he heard the site in Matteson was closing, he figured he would finally get his shot.
“I’ve been doing fairly well not catching anything, but you know, luck can always run out. So I think it’s about time,” he said.
In the time the Cook County mass vaccination sites were open, more than 623,000 doses were administered. When the site in Matteson opened in mid April, Cook County Health was giving out more than 14,000 vaccine doses every day at all of its sites. That number has since decreased to fewer than 1,000 daily.
This is something that does not surprise Prather.
“For anybody who wants to consider all the facts, they should be here by now,” he said. “I thought maybe more people like me would get spurred on to take those last chances instead of having to go somewhere else where they need an appointment.”
Fifty-eight percent of suburban Cook County residents have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s a percentage Prather is now proud to be a part of.
“This is kind of like my participation in making sure that we can have a happy ending finally,” he said.
Anyone who received their first vaccine dose at a Cook County mass vaccination site is able to get the second dose at pther CCH facilities, hospitals or hyperlocal events. Cobb said the nurses at the mass vaccination facility also told her she can even just go to a pharmacy.
The following list of CCH facilities will still be offering vaccines, including second doses.
Arlington Heights Health Center – 3250 North Arlington Heights Rd., Suite 300, Arlingtonn Heights, IL 60074
Austin Health Center – 4800 West Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60651
Blue Island Health Center – 12757 South Western Ave., Blue Island, IL 60411
Englewood Health Center – 1135 West 69th St., Chicago, IL 60623
Prieto Health Center 2424 South Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL 60623
Provident Hospital Sengstacke Health Center – 500 East 51st St., Chicago, IL 60615
Logan Square Health Center – 2840 West Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL 60804
Robbins Health Center – 13450 South Kedzie Ave., Robbins, IL 60472
Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center – 2020 West Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60612
Stroger Hospital, Cafeteria – 1969 West Ogden Ave., Chicago, IL 60612