The United Center at 1901 W Madison St. in Chicago. (Google Maps)

The new Illinois COVID-19 vaccination site at the United Center in downtown Chicago is scheduled to start accepting appointments for seniors from around the state at 8:30 Thursday morning.

The governor’s office announced today that appointments will be available online at Zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling 312-746-4835 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

State officials are encouraging those who can to sign up online, because despite having 200 staffers at the call center, lengthy wait times are expected.

The site is being operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is expected to be able to administer 6,000 doses per day. It’s scheduled to be in operation seven days a week for eight weeks.

All doses delivered at the center are to be provided directly by the federal government and not taken out of state or city allotments.

Bill Smith is the editor and publisher of Evanston Now.

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