When You Can Get the Covid Vaccine, According to CDC Timeline

While each state decides who gets the vaccine and when, the Centers for Disease Control's timeline gives us an idea of when you can get yours.

The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived. Illinoisans who chose to, will soon have the opportunity to receive it. Millions of doses are in the process of being shipped all around the country. Each state will be able to determine how they wish for the vaccine to be distributed. That being said, federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Controls does give us an idea of the timeline that can be expected.

The COVID-19 vaccine requires two shots, given 21 days apart.

The first doses, that are arriving now, will be administered to health care workers and nursing home residents, those who are at the highest risk. It is likely the second batch of doses coming in January 2021 will be given to the same people.

The February 2021 batch of the vaccine would then be for the next highest risk, the CDC recommends.

That group would include:

• People over the age of 65
• People with medical conditions that put them at risk of death if infected
• Essential workers: Those employed in education, food, transportation and law enforcement.

If you don't fall into that group above, you would likely be waiting until April 2021, due to the two shots required. At that point, the vaccine would be available for healthy, nonessential workers younger than 65.

If this is how things play out, most Americans could be vaccinated by summer.

[H/T ABC 7 Chicago]

Steve Shannon is host of The Steve Shannon Show on 97ZOK. On the air weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. and a special 'Rewind' show, featuring favorite moments from previous shows, on Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m.. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.