Lori Lightfoot, left, and Toni Preckwinkle appear in the “Chicago Tonight” on May 14, 2018 and October 16, 2017, respectively. (WTTW News)
Chicago and Cook County do not have enough doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to expand eligibility for Illinois residents with chronic health conditions and disabilities, said Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Council President Toni Preckwinkle early in the morning. Thursday in a rare joint statement.
Governor JB Pritzker announced on Wednesday that the state would begin vaccinating residents with cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart problems, sickle cell disease, lung disease and obesity on February 25.
Chicago and Cook County are still vaccinating those who qualify in the first two phases of the vaccination effort: health professionals, residents of long-term care facilities and those over 65, said Lightfoot and Preckwinkle.
“Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Lightfoot and Preckwinkle. “That said, our biggest challenge is the very limited supply of vaccine we are receiving.
“At the moment, we are not receiving enough doses that would allow us to expand eligibility,” the statement continued.
Emily Bittner, spokesman for the governor, said Pritzker “strongly believes that the medically vulnerable in our state should qualify for vaccination as soon as possible, and that it would be unfair for the vulnerable from the point of view. from a medical point of view, like cancer patients, having the vaccine denied in Illinois. “
If federal authorities approve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the coming weeks, it will add almost 100 million more doses to the country’s vaccine supply.
“Federal guidance already includes this vulnerable group, and the governor is particularly invested in expanding access because this group includes a disproportionately large proportion of people of color who are vulnerable,” said Bittner.
The governor’s action will allow local health departments “the ability to make plans to open consultations with this group of vulnerable residents,” according to the governor’s office.
If the city and county follow the plan outlined by the governor, it will add additional stress to the vaccination effort that has left many struggling to find an available time.
“Doing this in Chicago and Cook County would add well over a million additional people to the (current vaccination eligibility list) and the result would be that those currently eligible, including the elderly, essential frontline workers and those in our More overloaded COVID communities would have an even harder time getting a vaccine, ”said Lightfoot and Preckwinkle.
Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said on Wednesday that the city is getting enough vaccine for 5% to 10% of Chicago’s citizens who are already eligible.
The expansion of eligibility may make sense in other parts of Illinois, where there is ample supply, said Arwady.
According to the city’s vaccine distribution plan, all essential workers, as well as Chicago citizens aged 16 and over with underlying health problems, will be eligible to be vaccinated from March 29, if there is enough supply.
More than 900,000 Chicagoans would be eligible for the next phase of the effort, said Arwady. But the city does not have “close to” enough vaccine to meet this demand, she added.
Chicago is receiving approximately 6,000 doses of the vaccine every day, an increase of about 300 doses, Arwady said.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]