What is the Lake County AllVax Portal? Who can I register, and what information will I need to provide?
The AllVax Portal will be used to collect residents' contact information so that the Lake County Health Department may contact them when a COVID-19 vaccine is available to them. Registering with the AllVax Portal is secure.
Upon registration, you will be prompted to provide your contact information including address, phone number, and email address. As part of the registration process, you will be prompted to review the list of underlying medical conditions from the CDC that indicate an increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19, and to check any that apply. Click here to view the CDC's list of underlying risk factors.
You may register your entire household via the AllVax Portal. As you add a registration, you will be prompted to identify your relationship with the individual. You will be able to assign each registrant their own contact information, even if they are part of your household.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
advises Illinoisans to be on alert for COVID-19 vaccine scams, which may entice individuals to share health, personal and financial information through fraudulent claims about vaccine availability.
Follow these guidelines to avoid potential scams:
- Do not buy any kind of COVID-19 vaccine or treatment on the internet or from an online pharmacy. Vaccines will be free and are currently only available from hospitals or health departments.
- Ignore online, phone, and text offers for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Hang up on any calls, including robocalls, which direct you to take immediate action or provide personally-identifiable information, such as your Social Security number or bank account number.
- Report solicitations from telemarketers, text messages, and social media platforms, as well as door-to-door visits to the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
- Delete emails and texts that promise or offer access to COVID-19 treatments and do not click on any links contained in such emails as they may place malware on your devices.
Visit
allvax.lakecohealth.org for official information about the COVID-19 vaccine from the Lake County Health Department.
Click here to report a COVID-19 vaccine scam to the Illinois Attorney General. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccine scams at
ftc.gov.
The two vaccines that have received authorization from the FDA have been thoroughly reviewed by independent evaluators for safety and efficacy. Although the vaccine development process might seem fast, safety protocols were followed. This video from NorthShore University HealthSystem, and this article from the CDC explain more about how the two vaccines work.
Anyone who lives or works in Illinois can register at allvax.lakecohealth.org.
On Thursday, May 13, the CDC announced new masking guidelines for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people. Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. Governor Pritzker
announced that the State of Illinois would continue to align with CDC guidance on this matter. The City intends to continue to align with the State’s regulations. A formal Executive Order from the State of Illinois is forthcoming. In the meantime, the CDC guidelines are in effect.
As a reminder, individuals are
fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after they receive the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.
Every business or workplace has its own unique conditions, and CDC guidance allows business owners and employers to implement masking requirements if they choose. As the infographic below indicates, most of the activities that are safe for fully vaccinated individuals to resume without masks are not safe for unvaccinated individuals - even with a mask.
Because of this, business owners may choose to require masks in their stores or offices for the health and safety of their employees and clients. Customers are encouraged to be respectful of these requirements and of fellow patrons who continue to wear masks.
Learn more about the science behind this new guidance for vaccinated individuals in the CDC's updated
science brief.
The
CDC recommends vaccination even if you have recovered from a case of COVID-19. Re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, and it's too early to tell how long natural immunity may last.
The CDC has launched a new app,
v-safe, to rapidly detect any safety issues with COVID-19 vaccines. Once you download the app, you'll be prompted to enter information about when you received your COVID-19 vaccination and the type of vaccine you received. You'll then receive check-in text messages to report any side effects. The CDC will also utilize the
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and
National Healthcare Safety Network to track reporting of adverse reactions from across the country.
Visit the Health Department’s Coronavirus web page, www.lakecountyil.gov/coronavirus, for updates, testing information, community guidance and resources, answers to frequently asked questions, and to sign up for the Health Department’s weekly COVID-19 newsletter. General questions can be sent via email to COVID19@lakecountyil.gov.