* He’s getting in front of the city on some workers and allowing for others to be vaccinated at the same time they become eligible in Chicago on March 29th…
As the state continues to utilize every available dose of vaccine, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced new essential workers that will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming days, ahead of the universal eligibility on April 12. This comes as the state reaches 100,000 COVID-19 vaccinations each day with weekly shipments of vaccine projected to surpass one million doses in April.
Beginning Monday, March 22, higher education staff, government workers, and media will be eligible for vaccination at the more than 900 location in the state’s provider network. Beginning Monday, March 29, food and beverage workers, construction trade workers, and religious leaders will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“From the very beginning of our COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Illinois has ensured our most vulnerable residents receive first access to these life-saving doses, from our healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff, to our 65 and over population and those living with pre-existing conditions, to frontline essential workers who are more exposed to COVID-19 at their workplaces,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Before Illinois expands eligibility to all residents 16 years and older on April 12, I’m proud to announce expanded eligibility for additional groups of more vulnerable populations. With weekly shipments to Illinois surpassing one million doses in April, we are on track to save lives and bring this pandemic to an end.”
“As more vaccine becomes available in the coming weeks and months, we will continue to make sure we are reaching people who are at greater risk of exposure to the virus or from suffering severe illness due to COVID-19,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “While we will continue to prioritize individuals who are 65 years and older, as well as health care workers and individuals with underlying medical conditions, we want to maintain our momentum going forward and continue to increase our march towards herd immunity.”
Date - Eligible Groups
December 15, 2020 Healthcare workers and long-term care facility staff and residents
January 25, 2021 Frontline essential workers (including first responders, K-12 teachers and other public-facing industries) and residents age 65 and up
February 25, 2021 Residents with high-risk conditions or disabilities, age 16 and up
March 22, 2021 Higher education staff, government workers, and media
March 29, 2021 Restaurant staff, construction trade workers, and religious leaders
April 12, 2021 Any resident age 16 and up
Since its first day in office, the Biden Administration has nearly doubled weekly vaccine distribution to states from 8.6 million to over 16 million this week. The first delivery to Illinois in December was about 109,000 doses, a figure that has grown to more than 800,000 the week of March 15 and is projected to surpass one million doses per week in April.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, go to https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-plan-overview. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you, visit the coronavirus.illinois.gov website for vaccination locations. Individuals who do not have access to online services or need assistance navigating online services to make an appointment can call the Vaccine Appointment Call Center at 833-621-1284.
This means legislative staff will soon be eligible. But state and federal workers who live in the city and in any suburban county that hasn’t moved beyond 1B yet will have to find their doses elsewhere until the 29th.
- Sonny - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 1:34 pm:
More vaccine where it’s needed. People struggling to get appointments again today in Cook County and Chicago even with expanded availability when it’s like going to the drive thru in Central Illinois.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 1:37 pm:
===More vaccine where it’s needed. People struggling to get appointments again today in Cook County ===
Cook is sitting on 107,850 doses https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccinedata?county=Illinois#InventoryReporting
Chicago gets its vaccines directly from the feds.
- Ares - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 1:45 pm:
Any reason why product cannot be jabbed w/i 48 hrs of receipt?
- Amalia - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 2:03 pm:
once again, I wonder, why is the City of Chicago not getting enough vaccine from the Feds?
- Glengarry - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 2:07 pm:
If you’re a vet like myself. Call your local VA office. The VA is giving shots out to all veterans, regardless of age or health condition. The only catch is you must be eligible to receive healthcare from the VA.
- silicon prairie - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 2:20 pm:
So Cook County sends me an email that I can sign up at 1200 noon today. I am in 1b+ . So I call 350 times at 1200 noon and finally get through. They said all the vaccine was gone for 1B+ unless I am 65. They said only 4000 appointments were made for 1B+ today and it was gone in 10 minutes
- Just Me 2 - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 2:58 pm:
I’m not sure how helpful it is to say “Everyone can get vaccinated!” when the delivery system for those vaccinations cannot handle the demand.
- WestBurbs - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:01 pm:
It appears that IL is no longer going to have category 1C - which included “transportation, logistics, water and wastewater, food service, shelter and housing, finance, information and technology, communications, energy, legal, media, public safety and public health workers.” Know all of those people - who were designated “essential” have to enter the free for all with everybody over 16. This is a really bad development that can’t be justified on equity grounds.
- PublicServant - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:01 pm:
Yep, the VA came through for me too. 2nd Pfizer shot on the 30th.
- Narc - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:08 pm:
You know, as someone in phase 1c sitting here patiently waiting for my turn while my friends mostly been vaccinated*, to have Pritzger suddenly announce, “Hey, we’ve made up a bunch of NEW categories and they all get to get in line in front of you!” is … frustrating.
* some with shall we say dubious claims to “frontline essential worker” status
- Nathan - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:08 pm:
-silicon prairie
If you want to get those appointments that are released at noon by Cook County, get on their vaccination website. I got my in-laws signed up last Friday. It took a lot of refreshing and trying to book 10 different appointments before I got ones, but by 12:15 they were registered.
- In 630 - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:10 pm:
These dates aren’t super helpful from the state when it sure seems like many local authorities are well behind the state’s dates. DuPage hasn’t touched 1B+ yet.
Pritzker can say it, and we know it’ll happen eventually. But the actual delivery capacity, and possibly the supply sure doesn’t seem there.
- yinn - Friday, Mar 19, 21 @ 3:13 pm:
DeKalb County’s been vaccinating at the NIU Convocation Center. They just got 50 National Guard people in this week to help, their capacity now to vaccinate 1,000 a day. Unfortunately, they are only receiving 1,200 doses of vaccine per week. They think the presence of the Guard members might help move us up the priority list for getting increased supplies.