2 more mass vaccination sites to open in southern Illinois

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - More mass COVID-19 vaccination sites are slated to open this week in southern Illinois, news that comes as nearly 2 millions doses have been administered in the state.

State officials said two sites in Carbondale - Southern Illinois University and the Carbondale Civic Center - open Friday. Both will be able to give up to 540 shots each day.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker toured a similar mass vaccination site Thursday at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Belleville, which has administered around 10,000 doses since opening this month.

Other mass vaccination sites include the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, which opened earlier in the week, and the Tinley Park Convention Center, which opened last month.

Also Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,966 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 72 related deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has logged nearly 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and more than 20,000 deaths.