* Joint statement from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle…

Our goal is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly and efficiently as possible. That said, our greatest challenge in doing so is the very limited supply of vaccine we are receiving. While we are making progress every day with vaccinating people in 1a and 1b, at this time we are not being supplied with enough doses that would allow us to expand eligibility in these phases.

Doing so in Chicago and Cook County would add well over one million additional people to 1b, and the result would be that those currently eligible, including seniors, frontline essential workers and those in our most heavily COVID-burdened communities, would have an even harder time getting a vaccine.

These phases were established after careful study and consideration, and are based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We recognize the Governor must make tough choices and consider needs across this diverse state, but given the limited supply of vaccine, we must also make the tough choices as the leaders of the most populous city and county in the state. We look forward to expanding eligibility as vaccine supply improves.

* WTTW…

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Wednesday the city is only getting enough vaccine for 5% to 10% of Chicagoans who are already eligible.

The expansion of eligibility may make sense in other parts of Illinois, where there is ample supply, Arwady said.

Under the city’s vaccine rollout plan, all essential workers as well as Chicagoans age 16 and older with underlying health issues will be eligible to get vaccinated as of March 29, if there is enough supply.

More than 900,000 Chicagoans would be eligible in the next phase of the effort, Arwady said. But the city does not have “anywhere near” enough vaccine to meet that demand, she added.

I don’t think there’s ample supply anywhere, but dosage shipments are about to increase and the governor’s folks say they’re they’re finally getting reliable shipment estimates out of the White House.

The governor is speaking at 10 o’clock in Elgin, so we should know more soon. I’ll update this post.

* Meanwhile…

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she will allow Chicago bars and restaurants to expand the number of people they serve indoors.

But the city will continue to keep tighter restrictions on restaurants than the looser rules allowed elsewhere by the state.

…Adding… Pritzker press release…

The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination locations across Illinois continues to increase. Since yesterday, more than 340 new retail pharmacy locations have been added to the list of COVID-19 vaccination sites open to the public. There are now more than 850 vaccination locations in Illinois open to the public. The new sites include 339 Walgreens stores throughout Illinois, which will be receiving vaccine out of a federal allocation and not from the state’s allotment. Additionally, four CVS locations are being added.

More info here.

*** UPDATE *** Emily Bittner…

The Governor strongly believes the most medically vulnerable in our state should qualify for vaccination as soon as possible, and that it would be unfair for the medically vulnerable like cancer patients to be denied vaccine in Illinois. Even though vaccine supply remains limited throughout the nation, the pipeline has started to increase and nearly 100 million more doses are on the horizon. Federal guidance already includes this vulnerable group, and the Governor is particularly invested in expanding access because this group includes a disproportionately large share of vulnerable people of color.

The part about federal guidance is key there.

Background…

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is up for approval in just a few weeks, and 100 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be distributed nationally.

The federal government has already increased the supply of vaccine sent to states over the past week and started delivering more doses to pharmacies across the state.

With these promising developments, other states have begun to expand phase 1B in line with federal guidance, and some local health departments across the state have already expressed their readiness to move to the next prioritization group in the coming weeks.

The state of Illinois is working with local health departments to ensure they have the resources they need to administer doses to those who need them most as quickly as possible.

This critical step gives local health departments the ability to make plans to open up appointments to this group of vulnerable residents.