* CNN…

The chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed explained Sunday that an unpredicted “two-day lag period” is the reason why many states have not received the number of vaccines promised.

“We all made the error or mistake of assuming that vaccine that’s actually produced and being released is already available for shipment, when, in fact, there is a two-days lag between the time at which we generate a lot of data that shows this vaccine vial is actually safe and right and the time we can ship it,” Moncef Slaoui told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” when asked about the delay. […]

Slaoui’s comments on Sunday about the two-day lag come a day after Gen. Gustave Perna, the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, apologized for miscommunicating the number of vaccine shipments to states.

* Tom DeVore was recently interviewed by the Edgar County Watchdogs…

Q: Before we get off to the county cases. When you look at some of the other states across the country that have been into their Supreme Court months ago. What is it with the Illinois judicial system that seems to be so slow compared to other states?

A: You know, I don’t know that the judicial system itself is that slow. I think that the cases that have been filed in the way that they’ve been managed by the, and again I’m a part of that and there’s reasoning for it, they’ve not been pushed that fast. So, you know, again, without talking about my clients’ strategies too much, there’s been reasoning for that. I don’t know again that anybody’s pushed those issues really fast and again I have my reasoning for that and why I haven’t for my clients but. But again, I don’t know that I could put that on our judicial system I just think it’s the nature of the cases that are present in our state right now.

Translation: He’s been trying to keep these cases out of the supreme court’s hands for months.

*** UPDATE *** Effingham radio…

Oral arguments in the matter were to be presented Monday in Springfield, but Bailey’s attorney, Thomas DeVore of Greenville and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Verticchio, representing Pritzker, contacted trial judge Raylene Grischow. The attorneys requested the oral arguments be waived, and asked the Court issue a written opinion based on the Governor’s written submissions.

Judge Grischow agreed to issue a written opinion and email it to DeVore and Verticchio when it is completed.

* There’s been some misinformation spread by elements of the far right about hospital bed availability during the past couple of months. As with most such claims, they lack context. The Tribune’s Joe Mahr and Lisa Schencker crunched the actual numbers…

This year, Illinois hospitals reported they built out roughly 10,000 more beds, up from about 25,000 before the spring surge.

That effort led to some odd statistical moments. Over the summer, Illinois hospitals were reporting they had more beds open than they did a year earlier, at a time when there was no pandemic to drive up demand. At one point, roughly 7,000 more hospital beds were available than the previous year. And yet, hospitals also reported they were busier than the year before, treating roughly 2,500 more patients at that point in time, or a 14% higher patient load, according to a Tribune analysis of state figures.

The number of open beds being reported to the state has since shrunk — in part because of staffing issues. Worried that hospitals might not be able to staff all of the beds they said they had available, state regulators in November tightened the rules on what qualified as an open bed, which erased nearly 2,000 open beds overnight.

Meanwhile, the fall surge was putting more people in the hospital. Now, the number of Illinoisans hospitalized — for any reason — is approaching 25,000 a day, about 6,000 more than last year at this time.

* Speaking of misinformation, former state Rep. Jim Sacia spreads a ton of it in his most recent column, including this…

I’m allowed to attend Mass if there is space available to what? Ten percent of the church capacity.

There are no state crowd limits on religious services.

* Let’s flash back to November 27th…

[St. Clair County] had a seven-day average 12.8% positivity rate on Friday, up from 8.2% on Nov. 1. Before this month, the county had never seen that number reach double digits.

December 3rd…

On Dec. 1, Westmiller reported [St. Clair County] was averaging 113 cases per day and had a 14.5% positivity rate. It was also averaging about 900 tests a day.

December 18…

St. Clair County officials called Friday the “best day” the county has seen since Nov. 6, COVID-19-wise, at a daily briefing Friday.

According to officials, St. Clair County had a daily COVID-19 positive rate of 6.9%, the lowest its been since Nov. 6. No new deaths were announced Friday, and 127 new COVID-19 cases were reported, down from Thursday’s total of 224.

The county’s seven-day rolling average was 10.1%.

St. Clair County has done an amazing job. Mitigations work, public education works. But they’ve successfully lowered their positivity rates before, only to shoot back up again when mitigations were eased.

* But not everyone in the county was spared, of course. A heartbreaking loss…

A longtime educator, community leader and the “Dean of Politics” in East St. Louis has died. He had been fighting the novel coronavirus, according to those who knew him.

Eddie Lee Jackson Sr. served in the Illinois House of Representatives for eight years after retiring from a lengthy career as a science teacher and administrator in East St. Louis School District 189. He sat on the East St. Louis City Council for 20 years and is the father of Emeka Jackson-Hicks, the city’s former mayor.

Jackson, 71, died early Friday morning.

* Small protest outside governor’s mansion…

Keith Loukinen has had perhaps the best view of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion of any restaurateur since opening his fine dining establishment across the street in 2017.

But on Saturday, Loukinen, in his full chef uniform, made the short walk to the front of the mansion to join about 100 bar and restaurant owners, employees and patrons to protest the mitigations put in place by Gov. JB Pritzker and enforced by Sangamon County public health officials. […]

“We’re at a crossroads because keeping them closed is hurting more people than catching a disease,” said Ward 10 Ald. Ralph Hanauer. “I think we’re close. I’m hoping that we’re close. And I think that it would be nice if the governor would come out and do it and take the pressure off these counties and the cities as well.”

In addition to Hanauer, elected officials in attendance included state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, Reps. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, and Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, and Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath.

Perhaps Ald. Hanauer and the others could spend Christmas week volunteering at a local hospital’s COVID-19 ward…

In recent months, Aaron Curtis didn’t always wear a mask in public, and he went with his wife to Springfield-area restaurants where people at nearby tables also weren’t wearing masks.

“He didn’t think it would happen to him,” Aaron’s wife, Dia Curtis, told The State Journal-Register.

Aaron, 46, a throat-cancer survivor, now struggles to find the strength to walk to the bathroom in his Waverly home. He’s recovering from damaged lungs caused by a bout with COVID-19.

Aaron’s view of the virus changed after he spent almost three weeks last month in an intensive-care unit at Springfield’s HSHS St. John’s Hospital.

“The moment of reality for me,” he wrote in an email, “was when you are seeing people being wheeled out daily in body bags.”

* Tribune live blog headlines…

Second stimulus bill would give airlines $15 billion more, bring back 32,000 furloughed airline workers

Vatican tells Catholics it’s ‘morally acceptable’ to get COVID-19 vaccines based on research using fetal tissue from abortions

COVID-19 fills winter break with angst and uncertainty for families about 2021 reopening plans

With hospitals short on workers, those remaining feel pushed to the edge by COVID-19

City distributing grab-and-go activity kits for kids, teens at parks, libraries

Some health care workers are getting the vaccine. Others aren’t. Who decides?

Clergy, doctors and activists take on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and access in Black and Latino communities.

First Chicago vaccine recipients report feeling “great” after historic shots.

A federal panel said people over 75, essential workers should be next in line for COVID-19 vaccine as Moderna shots began shipping out.

Here’s when Walgreens and CVS predict you’ll be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine through a drugstore.

* Sun-Times live blog headlines…

Community health centers must decide who to vaccinate first

Illinois surpasses 900,000 COVID-19 cases

Highlights of new COVID relief deal: Congress to vote on $300 jobless benefit, $600 direct payment and more PPP

This month, Illinois has logged nearly 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths, which is more than 19.4% of the state’s pandemic death toll of 15,202.

Countdown to anti-vaccine backlash

* NBC Chicago live blog headlines…

Chicago Hospital Prepares for Arrival of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Illinois Surpasses 900,000 Cases of Coronavirus Since Pandemic Began

Lake County Jail COVID-19 Outbreak Infects 35 Inmates

Vaccinations to Resume at Suburban Hospital After Being Paused Due to Adverse Reactions (they were recovering quickly)

Gen. Perna Apologizes for ‘Miscommunication’ Over Available COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

Central Illinois Charities Facing Tough Obstacles Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Pritzker to End Daily Coronavirus Briefings; Will Hold Updates ‘As Needed’

Illinois’ Top Doc Says ‘We Did Not See the Significant Surge’ After Thanksgiving

Pritzker Says Tier 3 Mitigations to Continue Through Holidays, Despite Decline in Some Metrics