Chicago and Cook County will not join Illinois to expand who is eligible for phase 1B coronavirus vaccines later this month, officials said Thursday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the president of the Cook County Board announced the decision in a joint statement, saying the city and county are not receiving enough doses of the vaccine to allow them to expand eligibility along with the rest of Cook County. the state in a government decision JB Pritzker. announced the day before.
“Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly and efficiently as possible. That said, our biggest challenge in doing so is the very limited supply of vaccines we receive. Although we progress every day with vaccination of people in 1a and 1b, at the moment we are not supplied with enough doses that allow us to expand eligibility in these phases, ”the statement says.
“Doing so in Chicago and Cook County would add more than a million additional people to 1b, and the result would be that those currently eligible, including seniors, front-line essential workers, and those in our COVID-laden communities would find it harder to get a vaccine, ”Lightfoot and Preckwinkle continued.
“These phases were established after careful study and consideration and are based on the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We recognize that the governor must make difficult decisions and take into account the needs in this diverse state, but, given the limited supply of vaccines, it also has to make difficult decisions as leaders in the most populous city and county in the state. We hope to expand eligibility as vaccine supply improves. “
Pritzker announced Wednesday that Illinois would increase Phase 1B eligibility beginning Feb. 25, which will allow it to vaccinate people with “a high-risk medical condition” or comorbidity. The list includes people with cancer, diabetes, obesity, pregnant women and those with various conditions.
“In light of a steadily increasing federal supply of vaccines, Illinois is planning to extend Phase 1B eligibility on Feb. 25 to people with comorbidities and underlying conditions, as defined by the CDC,” he said. governor’s office in a statement. “In addition, Illinois will also prioritize people with disabilities.”
“Children under the age of 65 who live with comorbidities, such as cancer survivors or those suffering from heart disease, have a high risk of serious complications or death if they contract COVID-19,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Illinois is moving forward with CDC guidelines to expand our eligible population as supply allows, approaching the point where the vaccine is widely available to anyone who wants it. In the meantime, I encourage everyone the people of Illinois to wear masks and follow the mitigations so that more neighbors are healthy and alive when it comes to the vaccination line.
The expansion applies to those over the age of 16 who were not otherwise covered in previous eligibility categories, the state said, adding that it plans to work with local health departments and other providers in as eligibility increases. (Here is a full list of who is fit).
For a full view of where and how you can make an appointment in Illinois or where you can get information about vaccines in your area, click here.
There are already more than 3.2 million Illinois residents eligible for vaccination in Phase 1B, which includes people age 65 and older, as well as “essential front-line workers.”
Despite repeated claims by the state that it was struggling to vaccinate those in Phase 1B due to limited supply, Pritzker announced a 5% increase in doses just this week and said that “as soon as we receive enough supply of vaccine, we must not waste time protecting a wider section of our most vulnerable population. “
Still, even as Illinois announced more than 100 new vaccination sites last week, officials continued to call for patience Wednesday, saying the supply of vaccines was limited.
“We are limited by the amount of vaccine available and allocated by the federal government,” the governor’s office said in a statement just before Pritzker’s announcement about eligibility. “Right now, vaccines are only available by appointment and we encourage people to consult open consultations frequently. Until supply is increased, there will be a great demand and we ask people to be patient.”
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, advanced Lightfoot and Preckwinkle’s decision Wednesday, saying the city had only received enough vaccine to dose 5-10% of currently eligible people.
Chicago health officials previously posted a timeline of the vaccination phases, which they initially planned to move to Phase 1C on March 29, followed by Phase 2 on May 31. aged 16 and 64 who have underlying medical conditions. But Arwady said earlier this week that phase 1C could be rolled back depending on supply.
“The reason we really looked to the end of March is based on where we hope we actually have more vaccine,” Arwady said Wednesday. “I think it would be very appropriate, if there are parts of the state, for example, that maybe already go through their 1B: they have all their people over 65, they have got their essential workers, if there is somewhere in the state of unfulfilled vaccine appointments, of course it would be appropriate to move forward.But here in Chicago, if we now add additional people to 1B, all we do is make it difficult for people who are already eligible for this vaccine and it would make it harder for us to reach people over 65, which would make it harder for us to reach the most affected communities because it only dilutes the amount available. ”