Week of May 10, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine FAQ - Skokie Health and Human Services Department

For the week of May 10, the Village will offer second-dose clinics to individuals who received their first dose from the Village during April. Two first-dose clinics will be offered during the week of May 17, one each offering Moderna and Pfizer vaccine. The Village is now offering vaccines, as supplies allow, to all Skokie residents age 16 and over. See information about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine translated in English and these languages: Arabic, Assyrian, Gujarati, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Urdu. 

Erie Family Health Centers that serves Skokie residents is offering walk-in vaccines for anyone age 16 and over either with or without insurance, and citizenship is not required. See more information in English. See more information in Spanish. Erie Family Health Centers is located at 1285 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston.

 As of Friday, May 7, 2021, the Village had administered approximately 25,132 doses of vaccine. See more details on vaccine supply below. 

All residents, even those who have been vaccinated, should stay vigilant and continue practicing COVID-19 safety precautions to protect themselves and their community. Practice the 3Ws: wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance, along with avoiding large in-person gatherings. 

Already receive your vaccine?  Please click here to remove your name from the Village’s COVID-19 vaccination pre-registration database. 

Skokie residents can register for vaccination appointments at Cook County mass vaccination sites. Click here for more information.

Village of Skokie COVID-19 Vaccination Process

1.  Pre-register with the Village of Skokie if you live in the 60076, 60077 and 60203 zip code areas. Every household member age 16 and over is encouraged to pre-register. Note: You will not receive a confirmation email from the Village after pre-registering.

Click here to access the COVID-19 pre-registration portal.

2.  Await notification from the Village. You will receive an email invitation based on the order in which you pre-registered (first-in, first-served), and, most importantly, the amount of available vaccine.  Invitation emails are sent from covid-19@skokie.org, so please consider adding this email address to your contacts to prevent your vaccine appointment invitation email from going into a 'spam' or junk mail folder. 

3.  Register for your first vaccine dose. The notification email will include a link to register for an appointment to receive your first dose of the vaccine. Upon completing the registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the details of your appointment and a ticket to present for admission. 

4.  Receive your first vaccine dose. Please do not arrive more than five minutes before your appointment. Please bring a current, state-issued photo ID showing proof of Skokie residency. Be sure to wear short sleeves and a mask. If you work at a Skokie healthcare provider, please bring a work ID or documentation of employment. 

5.  While you are at the Village’s clinic for your first dose, you will make the appointment for your second dose. While at a Village of Skokie clinic receiving their first dose of vaccine, individuals will be able to make an appointment for their second dose while at the clinic either on their smartphone, tablet or at one of several available computer kiosks. Village staff or volunteers will be able to assist with the process and/or to answer questions about securing appointments. Those who cannot make their second-dose appointment on site will receive the information needed to make the appointment at a later time. Residents who need assistance after leaving the clinic should email COVID19@skokie.org or call the Village’s COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 847/779-7726. Individuals who receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not need to schedule a second appointment.

6.  Receive your second vaccine dose. Please do not arrive more than five minutes before your appointment. Please bring a current, state-issued photo ID showing proof of Skokie residency. Be sure to wear short sleeves and a mask. If you for a Skokie healthcare provider, please bring a work ID or documentation of employment. 

Q: What is the status of Skokie’s COVID-19 vaccine supply?

A: 

• As of Friday, May 7, 2021, the Village had administered approximately 25,132 doses of vaccine. 
• Data received from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that from December 2020 through May 3, 2021, a total of 37,529 Skokie residents have received at least one dose of vaccine (at Skokie's clinic and through other providers), representing:
  1. 60 percent of Skokie's total population
  2. 75 percent of Skokie residents age 16 and above
  3. 92 percent of Skokie residents age 65 and above
• A total of 27,860 residents are fully vaccinated, representing 44 percent of Skokie’s total population and 56 percent of Skokie residents age 16 and over.
• Skokie's current positivity rate is 3.4 percent. See Skokie’s COVID-19 data.
• As vaccine supply allows, the Village will continue to offer first-and second-dose clinics, with second doses prioritized if vaccine supply becomes insufficient. 
• Skokie residents can search for appointments at Walgreens, Jewel-Osco and area hospitals. Search for area vaccination sites.
• Inadequate supply of vaccines remains the single largest barrier to vaccinating Skokie residents at a faster pace.

The best place to get up-to-date information is the Village’s website, www.skokie.org. Important information is posted in the “Featured Announcements’ section of the home page. Please also subscribe to SkokieNews, the Village’s electronic newsletter that is issued every Tuesday afternoon and more frequently when there is important information for the community.

Q: I already had COVID-19. Do I still need a vaccine, or am I immune from having had the virus?
A: If you have had COVID-19, you still should be vaccinated. Long-term immunity does not occur after having the disease. 

If you had COVID-19 without complications (not hospitalized or did not receive plasma or antibodies as treatment) you must wait at least 10 days after the start of your isolation period to schedule an appointment. You also must be fever-free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medicine and have improving symptoms before receiving a vaccine. For example, if you had a positive test on April 1, you would be eligible for a first-dose vaccination on April 11 or after if you had COVID-19 without experiencing complications, have improving symptoms and have been fever-free for 24 hours without medication.

If you contract COVID-19 between receiving your first and second doses of vaccine, you must wait your entire 10-day isolation period before receiving your second dose of vaccine. The CDC recommends that you receive the second dose as close to “on-time” as possible, but not during your 10-day isolation period. If you were hospitalized or received plasma or antibodies, please call Skokie Health and Human Services at 847/933-8252 and ask to speak to a nurse who will ask you questions to determine the specific timeframe for your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Q: What about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine that has had safety concerns?
A:  Vaccine safety is always our top priority. The CDC and FDA recently lifted the temporary pause on administering Johnson & Johnson vaccine (J&J). The Village offered a clinic during the week of May 3 at which J&J vaccine was administered, and might offer future clinics with this vaccine. Residents are notified in advance which vaccine to expect prior to making their appointment. See more information on J&J vaccine from the CDC.

Q:  Is the Village administering Pfizer vaccine to 16 and 17 year olds? 
A: The Village recently began receiving Pfizer vaccine and it is being administered to 16- and 17-year-old Skokie residents by appointment at several local healthcare providers. In early May, the Pfizer vaccine will be administered to students at Niles North and Niles West High Schools. Skokie families with 16- and 17-year-old children who still need to be vaccinated and are not students at Niles North or West should email covid19@skokie.org. A clinic during the week of May 17 will feature Pfizer vaccine.

Pre-Registration and Vaccine Appointment Communication Information

Q: When I pre-register for a Skokie vaccine, will I receive an email confirmation?
A: No, you will not receive an email confirmation. When you complete the survey, a box should pop-up indicating that you have successfully completed the survey.

Q: I received an email from the Village inviting me to register for a COVID-19 vaccine, but I was not able to reply in time to secure an appointment. Do I lose my place in line?
A: No, you will not lose your place in line. Email invitations will continue to include residents who missed earlier email invitations. If a resident forgets or misses their opportunity to register for the actual vaccine appointment, the Village will continue to send them notifications for future available vaccine clinics. 

Q: I made an appointment for a vaccine but need to change it or I want to cancel. How can I do this?
A: Appointments can be canceled by calling Health and Human Services at 847/933-8252. Due to the demand for vaccines, changing an appointment date or time is not an option at this time.

Q: I do not have a computer or email address. How will I be notified when vaccination appointments become available?
A: Due to the extreme levels of calls and appointments being made, the Village is encouraging residents to provide an email address when they pre-register. If you do not have a computer or an email address, we ask that you find a family member, friend or neighbor to help you pre-register online and to help make an appointment when they are available. If you do not have anyone to help you, please call the Skokie COVID-19 Hotline at 847-779-7726 to pre-register with your name, address and phone number and you will be notified when an appointment is available.

Q: How did Skokie get the word out about COVID-19 vaccinations to residents without access to computers?
A: An informational postcard was mailed to all Skokie homes in the 60076, 60077 and 60203 zip codes in late January/early February with information on pre-registration for the benefit of residents without internet access. Recent editions of NewSkokie, the Village newsletter, also feature vaccination information. See the Village of Skokie COVID-19 postcard.

Q: Does the Village have more than one vaccination clinic location?
A: At present, there are no plans to add additional vaccine sites in Skokie. The current clinic at 7770 Frontage Road has sufficient capacity to serve a large number of residents efficiently while also adhering to social distancing measures for safety. It is completely accessible, and has a large parking lot with a good supply of handicapped parking near the main entrance.  

Second Dose Information

Q: How can I be sure that I will be able to get an appointment for my second dose of vaccine from the Village?
A: Individuals receiving their first dose of vaccine can make an appointment for their second dose while at the clinic either on their smartphone, tablet or at one of several available computer kiosks. Village staff or volunteers are available to assist with the process and/or to answer questions about securing appointments. This process, which uses a unique voucher code for each person, guarantees a second-dose appointment.

Those who cannot make their second-dose appointment on site will receive the information needed to make the appointment at a later time. Residents who need assistance after leaving the clinic should email COVID19@skokie.org or call the Village’s COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 847/779-7726. Individuals who receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will not need to schedule a second appointment.

Q: I am a Skokie resident and already received my first dose of vaccine from another medical provider. Can I get my second dose from the Village of Skokie?
A: Residents are advised to try to secure their second dose from the same medical provider that administered their first dose. If this is not possible, please email the Skokie COVID-19 email hotline.

Required Identification for Skokie Residents and Healthcare Workers at Skokie Healthcare Providers

Q: What kind of ID is required? 
A: A state-issued photo ID with a Skokie address is required. Absent this, a state-issued photo ID along with a current utility bill or lease document with a Skokie address and that person’s name will suffice. Skokie residents under age 65 that are essential workers qualifying for a vaccination in group 1B also should be prepared with proof of employment. Healthcare workers who are not Skokie residents but work for a Skokie healthcare provider must also bring proof of employment in Skokie.

Transportation Options to Skokie’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

Q: I don’t drive or am homebound. Will the Village come to my home to give me the vaccine?
A: The Skokie Health and Human Services Department is now collecting information on Skokie homebound residents who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A homebound resident is a Skokie resident that is unable to leave their home due to severe mobility issues. Persons who are able to leave their home with the assistance of one person are not considered to be homebound.

If you are homebound or know a loved one that is homebound, please contact the Village’s COVID-19 hotline 847/779-7726 to register that homebound resident with the Village. Residents that meet the criteria will be called by the Village at a future date to have a COVID-19 vaccination date and time scheduled. Note that due to vaccine availability, it may take the Village several months to vaccinate all homebound residents. This program is for Skokie residents only.

Residents with mobility issues, but who are able to leave their home with assistance are encouraged to pre-register with the Village to receive the vaccine at the Village’s on-site vaccination clinic. Click here to pre-register. Residents that pre-register will be notified when it’s their turn to schedule a vaccine appointment.  Below are links for information about RTA para-transit service (if you are income-eligible) and a few private, fee-based special transit services.

https://www.rtachicago.org/rider-resources/accessible-transit/paratransit-certification

https://www.specialneedschicago.org/home

https://britelift.com/services/