- Credibility:
DOWNTOWN — Anyone 16 or older will be able to get vaccinated against coronavirus starting April 12 in Illinois — as long as they’re not a Chicagoan.
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday the state will make every Illinoisan 16 and older eligible for coronavirus vaccinations in mid-April. The eligibility change won’t apply to Chicago, which has its own vaccination plan and gets a separate allocation of doses from the federal government.
Pritzker also announced changes to the state’s reopening plan as vaccinations continue and the end of the pandemic appears to be coming into view. Businesses will see their capacity limits raised, allowing them to serve more people at once.
RELATED: Illinois Getting Close To Reopening Fully, Governor Says. Here’s The Plan For Returning To ‘Normal’
Pritzker’s announcement came on the heels of President Joe Biden saying he’d direct states to make all adults eligible no later than May 1.
Chicago’s vaccination campaign is keeping eligibility more limited for now. Officials announced the city will move into its Phase 1C vaccinations on March 29 — making many Chicagoans, but not all, eligible. The city had originally planned to open vaccinations to all adults come May 31, but officials said they’ll meet Biden’s sped-up timeline — so long as the feds provide enough doses to vaccinate more people.
Children are not expected to be eligible for vaccinations until the summer or fall, as trials to test their safety and efficacy on children are in progress.
Across Illinois, an average of 102,223 vaccine doses are being administered per day, based on a seven-day rolling average. Illinois and Chicago have administered at least 3,925,253 vaccine doses of the 5,101,825 directly provided to them.
More than 791,000 doses of vaccine have been administered to Chicagoans.
Another 358,234 vaccines have been administered in long-term care facilities, which have been provided with 414,900 doses. Those vaccinations are done through a federal partnership with pharmacy chains.
All together, at least 4,283,487 vaccine doses have been administered in Illinois out of 5,516,725 doses provided to state entities.
Illinois and Chicago are currently vaccinating people 65 and older and frontline workers as part of Phase 1B of the vaccination campaign. Illinoisans who are eligible are able to make appointments to get vaccinated at pharmacies, their health provider’s office, state-run mass vaccination sites and other places.
The state is also vaccinating people with underlying conditions or disabilities as part of 1B+ vaccinations, though Chicago is not doing the same.
RELATED: Here’s How You Can Get Vaccinated Against Coronavirus In Chicago
Come March 29, the city will no longer vaccinate non-Chicagoans at its city-run sites.
Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, previously said she’s pushing for the state to send more doses to Chicago and the surrounding area since 35-40 percent of the city’s doses have gone to non-residents. She said rural areas in the state are currently more vaccinated than parts of Chicago.
In comparison, about 21 percent of Chicago residents who have been vaccinated got their shot outside the city.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
