Suburban health departments are not going along with Illinois’ plan to extend vaccine admissions to people under 65 who have medical conditions from Thursday.
Suburban Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will County health officials, as well as Chicago health officials, say the vaccine supply is too low to allow access to more people. Many essential workers and people aged 65 and over are still struggling to get the vaccine after being eligible a month ago.
“Given our limited amount of vaccine, we need to make a local decision that will best meet the needs of our residents,” said provincial health department officials.
The health departments have not given any specific timelines for when medically vulnerable residents will be able to get vaccinated.
Other vaccine providers in those provinces, such as pharmacy chains and hospital networks, are not affected by the decisions of the health departments.
Emily Delnicki, spokeswoman for Walgreens, said pharmacies follow state guidelines and confirm that people can go to stores outside their country for vaccination.
“When individuals come for appointments, patients must sign an affidavit confirming that they meet the state’s requirement for the vaccine,” Delnicki said. “Patients must also show a valid government ID to confirm their identity during the vaccination. You can choose another store in your country as long as appointments and supplies are available.”
The Kane County Department of Health has not responded to requests for information, but says on its website that it provides COVID-19 vaccinations to health care workers and emergency workers. The website advises people over the age of 65 to seek vaccinations at clinics, pharmacies, hospitals and medical practices.
In Mount Prospect, Nancy Horton said the search for vaccine appointments for herself and her husband had not yet erupted after several weeks of effort. She hopes the postponement of the vaccine for those under 65 will free up doses for her and others in the 65-plus category that have been waiting since they were eligible on January 25th.
“We seem to be walking around in circles,” she said. “You look at the sites every day and get the same answer all the time. It’s completely frustrating not to get any information or anything that looks like a hopeful note.”
Government JB Pritzker announced two weeks ago that the extension is suitable for those with medical conditions who are at high risk for severe cases of COVID-19, including people with cancer, kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung diseases, diabetes, heart problems , weakened immunity after a solid organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy and sickle cell.
“We do not currently have the vaccine supply to expand to (phase) 1B-plus,” said Steve Brandy, spokesman for the health department. “We hope to be able to do that soon.”
Meanwhile, state health officials on Tuesday announced another 43,282 vaccinations as the state received an additional 50,710 doses of the vaccine. Government officials said they expect 500,000 new doses by the end of the week.
To date, 1,664,128 people in Illinois have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
IDPH officials also announced another 27 deaths from COVID-19, as well as 1,665 new cases of the disease.
The state’s death toll from the virus is now at 20,330, while 1,177,320 Illinois residents have been infected since the pandemic began.
Around the world, hospitals treat 1,488 patients for respiratory ailments. Of those admitted to the hospital, according to IDPH records, 361 are in intensive care.