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For the third day in a row, Illinois set a record for the number of people vaccinated. The resurgence came when the state reassigns the vaccine from areas of lower demand to regions such as collar counties where the demand is high. The governor made it clear that the state is not building up reserves.
“There’s no rainy day fund for the vaccinations, if we can push it into someone’s arm, we’re going to do it right away. We use as much vaccine as possible,” said Governor JB Pritzker.
But the governor admitted that in some areas, organizations working with local health departments could stick to doses.
“Sometimes those partners keep a few more vaccines on the shelf than they should. And so we just want everyone to push them out,” Pritzker said.
There have been a total of 1,279,772 COVID cases, including 21,505 deaths in the state.
As of Saturday night, 1,834 patients in Illinois were reported hospitalized with COVID-19. Of these, 409 were patients in the ICU and 176 patients with COVID-19 on ventilator.
In the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 69,600 samples for a total of 21,172,007 since the start of the pandemic.
Governor JB Pritzker announces 150,000 additional vaccination appointments for Chicago suburbs next week
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from April 4-10 is 4.9%.
In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said 1.5 million doses of COVID vaccine have now been issued, with efforts specifically targeting vulnerable communities. Starting Saturday morning, the former Treasure Island supermarket in Wells, near Lincoln Park, will serve as a vaccination site, with an additional 1,000 doses.
The site will provide full inoculation via the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before the single-dose shipment drops next week.
“Doing it with Johnson & Johnson tomorrow and taking care of it in one day makes it a lot easier for us,” Hopkins said.
Because other states, such as California, have set dates to fully reopen, Pritzker is unwilling to commit.
“And I’ve never been able to answer because this virus is so unpredictable, but we’re heading in the right direction,” said Pritzker.
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To move to phase five, 50% of those 16 and older must be vaccinated with at least the first injection, the current number is now over 43%, but it could increase more quickly from next week as eligibility increases.
And the supplemental vaccinations could help reverse the current upward trend in cases and hospitalizations, which must be stable before the state can fully reopen.
A total of 9,001,105 doses of vaccine have been delivered to suppliers in Illinois, including Chicago.
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In Illinois, a total of 7,178,611 vaccines were administered Saturday evening. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 126,827 doses. 131,285 doses were reported administered Saturday in Illinois, a new record.
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On Monday, April 12, all residents 16 and older will be eligible for a vaccine in Illinois. Chicago will wait until April 19 to expand eligibility. Chicago residents are eligible for vaccination at suburban locations.
The Lake County mass vaccination site in Grayslake is also changing in size starting Monday. The Lake County Illinois Fairground site will be a continuous vaccination site rather than a drive-thru.
The county’s health department said it allows them to deliver 2,500 shots per day instead of 1,500. Masks and social distance are required in the building.
Arrangements on COVID vaccine at Gary’s massive vaccination site open to Illinois, Chicago residents
Now that there is a shortage of Chicago COVID vaccine appointments, many city dwellers are heading to northwest Indiana to get their photos taken at the FEMA location in Gary.
Many Chicago residents have been looking for a vaccination appointment for weeks. This week, top health officials in Illinois also urged residents to drive to find a dose.
Because the Gary mass vaccination site is operated by FEMA, you don’t have to be an Indiana resident to get an appointment. You can make an appointment via click here or call 866-211-9966 if you don’t have access to a computer or need assistance.
The deaths reported Sunday include:
– Cook County: 2 men 40, 1 woman 70, 1 woman 80
– DeKalb County: 1 man out of 80
– DuPage County: 1 female 70’s
– Iroquois County: 1 female 80’s
– Kane County: 1 man in his 80s
– McHenry County: 1 female 80’s, 1 male 80’s
– McLean County: 1 man from the 1970s
-Montgomery County: 1 90’s female
– Peoria County: 1 male 20s
– St. Clair County: 1 90’s female
– Tazewell County: 1 female 60’s, 1 male 70’s
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