Comparatively Low 7.1% Of Illinois Residents Have Received First COVID-19 Vaccination Dose
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new COVID-19 vaccination record was set in Illinois Thursday with nearly 75,000 people getting the shot in one day. More than 1.2 million vaccines have been given since the middle of December.
Many people have questions about Illinois' vaccine rollout plan, so CBS 2's Marissa Parra spent a day trying to answer some viewer questions.
"There's no clear path to get the information, for sure," said CBS 2 viewer Judy Potashkin.
She had more than a few questions, including where Illinois vaccinations stand in relation to the rest of the country.
"First of all the distribution from national warehouses to the states is dependent on their population," said Dr. Emily Landon. "That determines the amount of doses to the states. That has been left up to the states with very little support from the federal government."
Illinois has given the first vaccine dose to about 7.1% of residents. That is on the lower side when compared to Florida, which sits at 8.4%. But Florida and Illinois are tied when it comes to states that have given two doses. Both sit at 2%.
"The second question I had is why only approximately 50% of the vaccines are being given to individuals now," Potashkin said.
CBS 2 went to the Illinois Department of Public Health, which said "Illinois is not holding back vaccine."
IDPH says that while its website might show 2.1 million doses, that includes vaccines that have been ordered but have not shipped across the country to Illinois yet.
"My third question is why has group 1B not started to get inoculated in Lake County?" said Potashkin.
It's true that Illinois is in Phase 1B as a state, but the Lake County Health Department said the reason 1B viewers like Potashkin have not been able to schedule an appointment is the Lake County Health Department is still in 1A.
Some pharmacies in Lake County are giving shots to people in 1B, so it's best to reach out to them as well.
The number of coronavirus cases is also way down in the state. More than 3,600 were reported Friday, along with 83 deaths. The seven-day positivity rate is now 3.3%, the lowest since early October.
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