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Governor JB Pritzker announced on Wednesday that the state’s initial 109,000-dose COVID-19 vaccine allocation will actually go to as many residents instead of half that amount as originally planned.
“Contrary to what I said yesterday, we will not need to divide the number of doses we are receiving in half, withholding half of them to give as a second dose for each person,” said Pritzker Wednesday. “We don’t have to hold back because of the speed at which we will be getting the vaccines.”
The news came as the state reported 238 more deaths from the respiratory disease on Monday, as well as 9,757 new cases.
Wednesday’s death figures are the highest the state has reported in a single day. The spike was due to underreporting by county agencies during the four days of Thanksgiving, officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
In all, 60 of the state’s 102 counties reported deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday.
That brings the state’s death toll to 12,639 since the outbreak began. A total of 748,603 residents were infected during the pandemic.
Pritzker said the state expects to receive the first batch of vaccine vials from Pfizer between December 13 and December 19. The vaccine requires two injections spaced 21 to 28 days apart to be effective.
Hospital workers, as well as residents and workers in collective care facilities, will be the first to receive the vaccines, he said.
“The recommendation, which was made yesterday, is to include in the same category the collective care facility, the long-term care facility, residents and workers there, along with health workers in hospitals, so that they get it simultaneously as the doses arrive, ”he added.
Earlier today, national and state leaders in the long-term care sector urged governors across the country to prioritize residents and nursing home staff in the immunization process because these people have suffered most of the effects of the disease.
In Illinois, nearly 48% of state deaths are residents of long-term collective care facilities.
Given the asymptomatic and presymptomatic spread of this virus, combined with the community explosion spread across the United States, we hope this vaccine will literally be a lifeline for thousands of residents and speed up the reopening of our homes. facilities for family members and loved ones, ”said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living. “The long-term care industry, including nursing homes and assisted living communities, is now calling on the governors of all 50 states to ensure that residents and long-term care staff are the first group to receive the vaccine in this initial phase.
The Pfizer vaccine is quite finicky and requires special storage requirements of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The vaccine will be delivered directly to providers in special containers with 975 vials, each vial containing five doses. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vials will be thawed and diluted with an inert substance to reduce the viscosity of the vaccine before being injected into a patient.
The new vaccine details come as the state’s infection rate soared for the second day in a row. With the new cases added on Wednesday, the state’s seven-day average infection rate stands at 10.6%.
Meanwhile, hospitals statewide reported treating 5,764 patients with COVID-19 on Tuesday, down 71 patients from Monday. However, health officials believe the decline in patients is temporary.
Pritzker said on Monday that no region of the state would see the mitigation restrictions reduced for several weeks over fears of another resurgence, as many ignored warnings about Thanksgiving travel and gatherings.
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