41 Fake Vaccine Cards Seized At O’Hare Airport Were Hidden In Packages Labeled As Greeting Cards

CHICAGO — More fake coronavirus vaccination cards have been seized at O’Hare Airport.

Two packages labeled as containing greeting cards actually contained a total of 41 fake vaccination cards, according to a Customs and Border Patrol news release. Officials could tell the cards were fake “due to their low-quality appearance and other discrepancies,” according to the agency.

The cards were arriving from China and were seized Monday at O’Hare. They were headed to homes in Houston and in downstate Bartelso, according to the agency.

Earlier this month, 19 fake cards were seized at the airport.

“These dishonest vendors that are producing and sending these counterfeit cards are putting the American population in danger with every card they produce,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operations in Chicago, said in the news release. “Ordering and producing these cards is illegal and the only reason this is being done is to make a quick dollar, when getting the vaccination is free.”

The FBI has warned creating, buying or selling fake vaccine cards is illegal, and people who do so can face fines and prison time.

Vaccinations:

• In Illinois, about 7 million people — or 55.18 percent of the state’s 12.7 million people — have gotten all their COVID-19 vaccine shots, according to state data.

• Across the state, 22,497 vaccine doses are being administered per day, based on a seven-day rolling average.

• Illinois and Chicago have administered at least 14,527,925 vaccine doses of the 17,261,985 provided to them.

• City data shows more than 1.55 million Chicagoans — or 57.6 percent of all residents — are fully vaccinated, and 62.8 percent of all Chicagoans have gotten at least one shot.

Everyone 12 and older is eligible to get vaccinated in Chicago.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free and do not require insurance. Anyone can call the city’s coronavirus hotline at 312-746-4835 to get more information on how and where to get vaccinated in their community.

The numbers:

• Forty-two Illinoisans were reported dead from COVID-19 since Tuesday.

• At least 24,934 people have died from COVID-19 in Illinois, and another 2,685 deaths are probably related to the virus, according to the state.

• The state reported 2,989 cases since Tuesday. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in Illinois up to 1,624,164.

• Since Tuesday, 113,859 tests were reported statewide. In all, 31,697,698 tests have been reported in Illinois.

• Illinois’ seven-day positivity rate was at 2.4 percent. The figure represents the percentage of people testing positive among recent tests. It was at 2.5 percent Tuesday.

• Illinois’ seven-day test positivity rate, which measures the percentage of tests that were positive, was at 3 percent. It was at 3.1 percent Tuesday.

• As of Tuesday night, 451 people with COVID-19 were in the ICU and 241 people with COVID-19 were using ventilators in Illinois.

• In Chicago, three deaths were reported since Tuesday. There have been at least 5,771 deaths from COVID-19 in Chicago. The city is seeing an average of more than four deaths per day, down 12 percent from a week ago.

• Chicago has 343 had confirmed cases reported since Tuesday. It’s had a total of 316,692 confirmed cases. An average of 357 confirmed cases are being reported per day, a 16 percent decrease from the week prior.

• Testing in Chicago has increased 2 percent since a week ago.

• Chicago’s positivity rate was at 2.5 percent, down from 2.9 percent the week prior.

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