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For the third day in a row, Illinois set a record for the number of people vaccinated. The rise came as the state reassigned the vaccine from areas with lower demand to regions such as neck counties where demand is high. The governor made it clear that the state is not accumulating reserves.
“There are no rainy day funds for vaccines. If we can push it into someone’s arm we will do it immediately. We are using as much vaccine as we can,” Governor JB Pritzker said.
But the governor admitted that in some areas, organizations working with local health departments could stay on dose.
“Sometimes these partners keep a few more vaccines off the shelf than they should. So we just want everyone to kick them out,” Pritzker said.
There have been 1,279,772 cases of COVID in total, including 21,505 deaths in the state.
As of Saturday night, 1,834 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of these, 409 patients were in the ICU and 176 patients with COVID-19 with ventilators.
In the last 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 69,600 specimens for a total of 21,172,007 since the pandemic began.
Gov. JB Pritzker announces 150,000 more vaccination appointments for Chicago suburbs next week
The preliminary positivity of the seven-day state test from April 4 to 10 is 4.9%.
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said 1.5 million doses of COVID vaccine have now been administered, with specific efforts focused on vulnerable communities. Starting Saturday morning, the former Treasure Island grocery store in Wells, near Lincoln Park, will serve as a vaccination site, giving 1,000 more doses.
The site will offer full inoculation via the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before single-dose shipments drop next week.
“Doing it tomorrow with Johnson & Johnson and taking care of it in one day makes it a lot easier for us,” Hopkins said.
While other states like California set dates for its full reopening, Pritzker is unwilling to commit.
“And I’ve never been able to give an answer because this virus is so unpredictable, but we’re going in the right direction,” Pritzker said.
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To move to phase five, 50% of those over the age of 16 must be vaccinated with at least the first shot, the current number already exceeds 43%, but it could increase more rapidly from next week as it is ‘expands admission.
And additional vaccinations could help reverse the current upward trend in cases and hospitalizations, which must be stable before the state can reopen completely.
A total of 9,001,105 doses of vaccine have been administered to suppliers in Illinois, including Chicago.
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A total of 7,178,611 vaccines have been administered in Illinois since Saturday night. The rotating average of seven days of vaccines administered daily is 126,827 doses. There were 131,285 doses administered Saturday in Illinois on Saturday, a new record.
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On Monday, April 12, all residents 16 and older will be able to get vaccinated in Illinois. Chicago will wait until April 19 to expand the requirements. Chicago residents are eligible to get vaccinated in suburban locations.
The Lake County mass vaccination site in Grayslake is also changing its format starting Monday. The Lake Illinois County Fairgrounds will become a vaccination site rather than an access point.
The county health department said this will allow them to administer 2,500 shots a day instead of 1,500. Masks and social distancing are required inside the building.
COVID Vaccine Appointments at Gary Mass Vaccination Site Open to Illinois, Chicago Residents
With few visits to Chicago’s COVID vaccine, many city residents are heading to northwest Indiana to receive shots at Gary’s FEMA site.
Many children have been looking for an appointment to be vaccinated for weeks. This week, top Illinois health officials also pushed residents to drive to find a dose.
Because FEMA manages Gary’s mass vaccination site, you don’t need to be a resident of Indiana to make an appointment. You can schedule an appointment before by clicking here or by calling 866-211-9966 if you do not have access to a computer or need help.
The deaths reported on Sunday include:
– Cook County: 2 40-year-old men, 1 70-year-old woman, 1 80-year-old woman
– DeKalb County: 1 man from the 80s
– DuPage County: 1 woman aged 70 years
– Iroquois County: 1 woman aged 80 years
– Kane County: 1 man from the 80s
– McHenry County: 1 80-year-old woman, 1 80-year-old man
– McLean County: 1 man from the 70s
-Montgomery County: 1 woman 90
– Peoria County: 1 man of 20 years
– County of St. Clair: 1 woman 90
– Tazewell County: 1 woman aged 60, 1 man aged 70
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