The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 1,120,528, with a total of 19,138 deaths, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the last 24 hours, laboratories reported 111,057 copies for a total of 15,844,619.
RELATED: Illinois COVID Vaccine Map Shows How Many Residents Have Been Vaccinated By County
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Jan. 22-28 is 5.4%.
RELATED: Illinois Coronavirus Testing: Where to Get Tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago
The positivity rate of the test is a measure that the state began providing in late October. It is calculated by using the total number of positive tests over the total number of tests. This is the measure used by state health officials to make mitigation decisions.
A total of 1,304,475 doses of vaccine have been delivered to suppliers in Illinois, including Chicago, with an additional 496,100 doses assigned to federal government partners for long-term care facilities, bringing the total number delivered in Illinois to 1,800,575.
Find out how many people can get a COVID-19 vaccine before you
A total of 58,357 doses were administered Thursday, making it the third day in a row that Illinois has received a record number of vaccines. 53,628 doses were administered Tuesday and 55,865 on Wednesday.
RELATED: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine 85% Effective Against Severe COVID-19 Disease
Johnson & Johnson’s highly anticipated vaccine appears to offer protection against COVID-19 with just one injection – not as strong as some two-shot rivals, but still potentially useful for a world in urgent need of more doses.
J&J said on Friday that in the US and seven other countries, the single vaccine was overall 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease, and much more protective – 85% – against the most severe symptoms.
Only 1.4% of the Illinois population has received both doses of a vaccine.
In Chicago, health officials said they only get about 35,000 vaccine doses per week, allowing them to administer only 5,000 doses per day, for vaccines that require two doses.
“The federal government directs us to give the first and second doses and make sure everyone gets the doses at the right time,” Pritzker said.
Rather than vaccinating as many people as possible with the first dose, the Pritzker government said the state is keeping vaccines in reserve for second doses.
Second-dose appointments are even more difficult for some to find than their first shots.
“I don’t love you, I was on that phone for about nine hours, yes I was, and it’s impossible. It’s a mess. That’s more stressful,” said Jocelyn Jones.
Jones and her husband are both over 65 with underlying health problems. She said the next appointments she could find through the Cook County portal were in March.
“It won’t do us any good if we can’t get the second one, and it’s nearly impossible to get it,” she said.
Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha said he will investigate the situation Jones has described, adding more vaccine coming to the county and adding more staff to sites so on-site appointments can be made after getting of the first dose.
“We’re expanding our smaller sites, we’re adding more team members to enable that feature, and we hope to have them available across all sites in the coming days,” said Rocha.
Jones said she was eventually able to get her and her husband’s appointments for their second dose of COVID vaccine within three weeks, but she didn’t get them through Cook County.
State Republicans question Pritzker about the state’s lagging efforts in the area. They note that Illinois ranks 47th in the overall vaccine distribution.
In a letter to Pritzker, members of the Senate Republican Caucus said Illinois ranks 47th in overall vaccine distribution, with only 4.8% of Illinois residents getting at least one injection as of Thursday.
“We ask for a clear explanation to Illinois lawmakers and citizens as to why Illinois is one of the worst states in terms of providing vaccines to those who need it most,” the caucus said in the letter, adding admits that it is unsatisfactory to blame former President Donald Trump or the federal government.
Suburban teachers are given vaccines
Like the Chicago Teachers Union insists that educators should get the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to class, more suburban teachers will get the photo.
More teachers and essential workers will get shot in the arm in Deerfield Friday.
District 109 is working with local Walgreens company to vaccinate Deerfield Public School staff. They will receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine with two injections on Friday; the second shot will be administered next month.
Earlier this week, DPS also approved a COVID-19 Testing Support Agreement with the University of Illinois for COVID-19 testing for students and staff. If approved, the testing program tests students and staff returning to school. More information about the agreement will be announced in the coming weeks.
IDPH reports that a total of 887,845 vaccine doses have been administered, including 131,401 in long-term facilities. The seven-day moving average of vaccines administered is 38,738.
The IDPH says vaccine distribution numbers are reported in real time, and vaccine delivery lags by as much as 72 hours.
Walgreens is delivering vaccines at 92 locations across the state and arrangements can be made on their website, while Jewel-Osco begins vaccinating eligible residents on Tuesday, with arrangements available on their website.
Pritzker said there are plans to launch walk-in sites as soon as the supply of vaccines increases. He also announced the creation of a new portal, coronavirus.illinois.gov, to provide the latest information on vaccines.
Thursday night, there were 2,735 patients in Illinois who were in the hospital with COVID-19. Of these, 532 patients were in the ICU and 297 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilator.
The deaths reported Friday include:
– Bond County: 1 female 70s
– Champaign County: 1 male 1960s
– Coles County: 1 man 1960s
– Cook County: 1 woman 40s, 1 woman 50s, 2 men 50s, 1 woman 60s, 3 men 60s, 1 woman 70s, 2 men 70s, 1 woman 80s, 3 men 80s, 1 man 90s
– DeKalb County: 1 female 1960s
– Douglas County: 1 female 80s
– DuPage County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
Effingham County: 1 90s female
– Fayette County: 1 man in his 90s
– Iroquois County: 1 female 90s
– Kane County: 1 woman 20s, 1 man 60s, 2 men 70s, 1 man 80s, 1 woman 90s, 1 man 90s
– Kendall County: 1 man in his 40s
– Lake County: 1 man in the 50’s, 1 woman in the 70’s, 1 woman in the 80’s, 1 woman in the 90’s
– LaSalle County: 1 male 1960s
– Logan County: 1 man from the 1950s
Madison County: 1 man from the 70s, 1 man from the 90s
– McHenry County: 2 female 70s, 1 male 70, 1 male 80
– Peoria County: 1 90s female
– Piatt County: 1 male ’80s
– Pike County: 1 male 1960s
– Randolph County: 1 man out of 80
– Rock Island County: 1 female 60’s, 1 female 80’s
– Saline County: 1 man in his 70s
Shelby County: 1 man in his 90’s
– St. Clair County: 2 men 1970s, 1 man 90s
– Stephenson County: 1 woman in the 70’s, 1 woman in the 80’s
– Tazewell County: 1 male 60er, 1 female 80er
– Vermilion County: 1 male 1960s
– Whiteside County: 1 male 70s
– Will County: 1 1950s woman, 1 1970s woman, 1 1970s man, 1 1980s man
– Williamson County: 1 90s female
– Winnebago County: 1 male from the 80’s, 1 female from the 90’s, 1 male from the 90’s
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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