Eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine will be extended to all Illinois residents over the age of 16, except those in the city of Chicago, beginning April 12, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday.
Pritzker and the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, made the announcement during an update to COVID-19 in which he also unveiled a new framework for the state’s reopening plan.
All Illinois residents over the age of 16 will be eligible for vaccination as of April 12, Pritzker said, adding that state officials in the coming days would provide more information on certain populations that will be eligible before ‘that final expansion.
“On this date, all state-supported mass vaccination sites, local health departments, and pharmaceutical partners (in short, all jurisdictions that receive the Illinois state allocation vaccine) will receive instructions for them to move on to widespread eligibility, ”Pritzker’s office said in a statement.
All vaccines will be held by appointment only, officials said, noting that “requesting an appointment to receive a shot may take time.”
Pritzker’s office also noted that residents who are not currently eligible to receive the vaccine are still unable to schedule an appointment for a future date, asking for patience in the days and weeks after April 12, as appointments ” may be limited “.
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.
That April 12 date is ahead of the timeline that President Joe Biden set earlier this month, saying he would lead states so that all adults could receive the vaccine before May 1st.
Pritzker said last week that he felt “confident” in advancing the supply of vaccines and that he believed the state could move forward by that time.
Illinois introduced what is known as Phase 1B Plus of its vaccine deployment plan late last month, extending eligibility to people with certain medical conditions and high-risk comorbidities. This is in addition to already eligible health workers and long-term care facility staff and residents who qualified for Phase 1A, in addition to essential front-line workers as well as residents. of 65 years or older who were eligible in the previous iteration of phase 1B.
For a full view of who is eligible for vaccination in Phase 1B Plus, click here.
But when the state entered Phase 1B Plus, several jurisdictions, including the city of Chicago, suburban Cook County and several other counties in the area, announced that they would not extend eligibility along with the rest of Illinois. citing a low supply of vaccines.
Chicago officials announced Wednesday that the city would move to Phase 1C, which includes all remaining essential workers as well as all adults with skilled health conditions, as scheduled for March 29.
Because Chicago receives the federal government’s assigned vaccine supply separately from the state, the city operates on its own schedule and schedule and will not extend eligibility to all adults with the rest of the state on April 12. .
Illinois officials said Thursday that the state has administered more than 4.3 million doses of available COVID-19 vaccines since vaccinations began in December, currently averaging 100,000 daily doses as it increases. supply.