Illinois Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccination expanded on Thursday, when the state opened up eligibility for a much larger group of residents.
Known as Phase 1B Plus, the current phase of the COVID vaccine launch in Illinois now includes people with certain comorbidities and high-risk medical conditions. But it will not be the case everywhere.
Here’s what we know so far about expanded Phase 1B, which started on February 25:
Who is eligible for Phase 1B Plus and when?
As of February 25, the state has increased eligibility for Phase 1B to include people with certain underlying diseases and comorbidities.
The list of qualified high-risk medical conditions (which is subject to change) includes:
- Cancer
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Diabetes
- Cardiac Condition
- Immunocompromised state of a solid organ transplant
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Lung disease
- Sickle cell anemia
The expansion applies to those over 16 who were not otherwise covered in previous eligibility categories, the state said, adding that it plans to work with local health departments and other providers as eligibility increases.
This is in addition to the health workers and long-term care facility staff and residents who qualified in Phase 1A of the state’s deployment, as well as the essential frontline workers and residents age 65 and older who were eligible at the start Phase 1B, which included more than 3.2 million Illinois residents.
Here is a look at those who have already qualified in Phase 1B:
- Residents aged 65 and over
- Essential frontline workers, meaning “residents who are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 because of their work obligations, usually because they cannot work from home and / or must work close to other people without being able to work. distance socially. This includes:
- First responders: Firefighters, police, 911 workers, security personnel, school officials
- Education: Teachers, principals, student support, student assistants, day care worker
- Food and Agriculture: Processing, plants, veterinary health, livestock services, animal care
- Manufacture: Industrial production of goods for distribution to retail, wholesale or other manufacturers
- Penitentiary and prison officials: Prison officers, youth institution workers, in-person support workers, inmatesU
- USPS workers
- Public transport workers: Flight crew, bus drivers, train drivers, taxi drivers, para-transit drivers, personal support, ride sharing services
- Grocery workers: Baggers, cashiers, stockists, pickup, customer service
- Shelter and daycare staff: Homeless shelter, women’s shelter, adult day / drop-in program, sheltered workshop, psychosocial rehabilitation
Which locations are expanding in phase 1B and which are not?
Several local health departments, hospital systems and Chicago area counties have said they will not expand their Phase 1B yet, saying vaccine supply remains very limited.
See who is and who is not expanding so far:
Chicago
Chicago was one of the first to announce that it would not enter the state.
“We are not ready at the moment,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, in a Facebook Live video on Tuesday. “The city of Chicago, Cook County, Evanston, DuPage County, Stickney – there may be others. All told, we are simply not at a point to be able to move on.”
According to Arwady, more than 950,000 Chicago residents would be eligible if the city expanded Phase 1B under state guidelines.
“We cannot add one million people to the almost one million people including 1A, who are already competing for existing doses,” she said. “It will only make everyone more frustrated. So, as we get more vaccine, we will definitely open up and go from there.”
Cook county
Cook County Council President Toni Preckwinkle, in a joint statement with Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, echoed these claims, saying “we are not getting enough doses that would allow us to expand eligibility at these stages”.
DeKalb County
DeKalb County officials say the area will not be expanding Phase 1B until those eligible early in the phase receive their vaccines.
DuPage County
The DuPage County Health Department said in a statement that it cannot expand eligibility “until vaccine supply is increased”.
Evanston
In a note to residents, Evanston said he did not expect to be able to expand Phase 1B eligibility “due to the large number of individuals aged 65 and over in Evanston who are currently eligible for vaccines as part of Phase 1b, and limited supply vaccines available so far. “
Grundy County
In a February 15 note, Grundy County said that “it remains in Phase 1b, which we now understand includes people under the age of 65 with high-risk medical conditions.”
“Although these people have been included, we have not yet seen an increase in the allocation of vaccines targeting Grundy County. Our estimate is that 1b now includes more than 15,000 people, and we continue to see only hundreds of vaccines per week,” he said. the county health department. “It will take months to offer a vaccine to everyone who now qualifies.”
Jewel-Osco
“Osco Drug Pharmacy is following the state of Illinois expanded Phase 1b guidelines that take effect February 25º“the company said in a statement.
Kane County
“The Kane County Health Department will implement 1B part 2 eligible residents in their clinics as more vaccine is available,” said the county health department. “Some of our suppliers will continue to focus on patients over 65 years of age, while others are better positioned to include patients with medical conditions.”
Kankakee County
“The Department of Health is committed to vaccinating as many people as quickly and efficiently as possible,” the county health department said in a statement. “However, we continue to receive a very limited supply of vaccine. The expansion of phase 1B will further delay the vaccination of health professionals, the elderly and essential frontline workers already in Phase 1A and 1B who have not yet been vaccinated and await your turn.”
Lake County
“Until vaccine supply increases, Lake County will not expand into the ‘Phase 1b plus’ group announced by the governor, which includes 16- to 64-year-olds with comorbidities, high-risk health conditions and disabilities,” said the spokesman. – Christopher Coveli in a statement. “In accordance with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the transition between phases, we will seek to move to the ‘Phase 1b plus’ group when 60-70% of people in the current phase are vaccinated or when the supply vaccines exceed demand at the current stage. However, pharmacies and other entities that receive vaccines directly from the state or federal government are free to follow the Illinois expansion that begins on February 25, 2021. ”
Mariano’s
“We will be [expanding] according to the jurisdiction of each county, “said a company spokesman.” Appointments can be made from [Thursday], but 3/1 is the vaccination date, depending on the availability of the appointment.
McHenry County
“Based on the state’s current vaccine distribution, MCDH will continue to focus its Phase 1b vaccination efforts on people aged 65 and over and first responders,” the county said in a statement.
Oak Street Health
“We are not planning to expand eligibility for younger people with health problems – we are focusing our efforts on older adults (patients and other seniors) in our communities,” the health system said in a statement. “We are seeing sufficient demand from this group and it is in line with the expectations that the City of Chicago and Cook County have established to remain focused on vaccinating those currently eligible. The exception is that we are working in partnership with the Protect Chicago Plus initiative in the city where , for eight weekends (the previous two and the next six), we are vaccinating residents aged 18 and over in the Belmont Cragin and Montclare neighborhoods (two of the neighborhoods most affected by the pandemic, as described by the city). We are really proud of the work we’re doing there – it’s having a measurable impact on vaccination rates for Latinos in Chicago. “
Will County
“Like so many counties in our area, we cannot expand into what is now called ‘1B-plus’ due to a lack of adequate vaccine supplies,” said the Will County health department in a statement. “We will continue to focus on Phase 1B and people aged 65 and over, with the hope that the vaccine supply will improve soon.”
Governor JB Pritzker said the state is still expected to expand Phase 1B eligibility as of Thursday, despite shipping delays that led to shortages in some cities last week.
Do you need proof of medical conditions?
Pritzker noted that people eligible for the expansion phase will not need to prove that they have a high-risk medical condition, although many are likely to receive the vaccine from their primary care doctors.
“We are not forcing people to enter the doctor’s papers to prove that they have diabetes or that they have cancer. We have people, the honor system, for people to present themselves with these comorbidities.” Said Pritzker. “So are we, obviously – the nurses and doctors who are giving these doses to people can ask questions about their condition to confirm this. And many people are actually going to their regular health care provider who already has their record on file and knows your comorbidity. ”
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, says that although proof of the condition is not explicitly necessary, it will help to speed up the vaccination process.
“Most individuals with comorbidity may have a recent pill bottle with their names on it, they may have a medical certificate or they may have a recent summary sheet that indicates the conditions they have,” she said during a recent discussion panel on NBC 5 Chicago. “We are not trying to create barriers or difficulties, but we want to make sure that we are targeting the people who need this vaccine most, and those individuals with comorbidities can help provide some evidence in addition to the statement that they may have to do so that they can take the vaccine. “
For a complete view of where and how you can make an appointment in Illinois or where you can receive information about vaccines for your area, click here.
Why is the state expanding eligibility?
“Those who are under 65 and living with comorbidities, such as cancer survivors or those living with heart disease, are at high risk of serious complications or death if they contract COVID-19,” said Governor JB Pritzker in a statement. “Illinois is advancing according to CDC guidelines to expand our eligible population as the offer allows, getting closer to the point where the vaccine will be widely available to everyone who wants it. In the meantime, I encourage all Illinois residents to wear our masks and follow mitigating measures so that more of our neighbors are healthy and alive when it is their turn to get vaccinated. “
But why expand with so many regions not receiving the necessary doses?
“It appears that there are some rural areas in the state that may have received more vaccine, may not have as many people, may have obtained a high percentage of people over 65 and their essential workers,” Chicago Department of the Commissioner for Public Health , Dr. Allison Arwady, said.