Note: An earlier version of this story said that five counties were allowed to extend eligibility. Since then, the state has clarified that all Illinois counties that have a lower demand for vaccinations can now extend their eligibility at their discretion.
On Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health authorized state counties to see low demand for COVID vaccine to begin vaccinating all residents over the age of 16 at their immediate discretion in order to “address a possible worrying trend in the increase in hospitalizations and case rates for COVID ”.
IDPH said in a statement that it had seen vaccine demand slow in several counties “with initial signs of unfulfilled appointments and increased vaccine inventory.”
As such, the state authorizes counties with open appointments and slowed demand to expand vaccine eligibility in order to use currently available doses. IDPH noted residents should contact their local health department to see if they have expanded eligibility.
The state also announced Friday that it is sending “Rapid Response Vaccination Equipment” to five counties where epidemiologists “have determined that doses need to be administered quickly to dampen growing trends,” IDPH said. These teams will administer single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines to residents, in addition to what counties already have assigned.
These counties are: Carroll, Ogle, Boone, Lee and Whiteside. Details on the doses and how to make an appointment are as follows, by IDPH:
“Recent increases in hospital admissions and the positivity of testing are affecting new developments and we don’t want to follow the same path we saw before and experience a resurgence of the pandemic, which is why Governor Pritzker told us to use all of our resources to stop these rises, “said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, in a statement.
Illinois recorded a 10-day increase in the continued average of seven days of hospital admissions since March 8, IDPH said, and the COVID-19 test positivity was 3.3% as of Friday, 2.5% more than on March 10th.
“While these rates are certainly significantly lower than the maximum, they represent a possible early warning sign of a possible resurgence,” IDPH said.
Chicago officials said Thursday that the city’s coronavirus metrics have also shown “worrying increases” in recent weeks, noting that “the most alarming thing” is that the daily number of new COVID cases in the city has passed. in the “high risk” category due to five consecutive days of increases.
On Friday, IDPH noted that the daily rate of Chicago cases has risen nearly 50 percent since last week, along with a six-day increase in test positivity, while suburban Cook County has seen an increase in its daily case rate is over 40%, along with nine days of increased hospital bed use.
“We can’t move forward if our metrics go backwards,” Ezike said. “The vaccine will help us reach the end of the pandemic, but we must continue to reduce the spread of the virus by wearing a mask, avoiding large crowds, staying six meters away, getting tested after seeing other people and get vaccinated as soon as possible ”.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced last week that all Illinois residents over the age of 16 will be eligible to get vaccinated starting April 12th.
Here’s a look at the full vaccine eligibility schedule:
| Data | Suitable groups |
| December 15, 2020 | Health workers and staff of long-term care facilities and residents |
| January 25, 2021 | Essential front-line workers (including first aid workers, K-12 teachers and other public industries) and residents aged 65 and over |
| February 25, 2021 | Residents with high-risk conditions or disabilities, over 16 years of age |
| March 22, 2021 | Higher education staff, government workers and the media |
| March 29, 2021 | Restoration staff, construction workers and religious leaders |
| April 12, 2021 | Any resident 16 years of age or older |
All vaccines are held by appointment only, officials said, noting that “requesting an appointment to receive a shot may take time.” Newly eligible workers can make appointments at “more than 900 locations in the state’s provider network,” Pritzker said.
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.