COVID-19 In Illinois: Winter Storms Continue To Delay Vaccine Shipments
CHICAGO (CBS) -- While most of Illinois might be getting a break from the snow for now, severe winter storms across the country are continuing to delay vaccine shipments, which likely will reduce the number of shots being given out this week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said the state was slated to receive approximately 365,000 doses of vaccines this week, but so far has gotten only about 55,000 doses due to extreme weather conditions across the country.
While officials said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated some shipments may go out on Wednesday, IDPH said the delay will most likely mean a reduction in vaccinations statewide over the next several days.
As CBS 2's Chris Tye reported Tuesday, it was unclear how long the delay might last. But if you're waiting on that time sensitive second shot, the city's top doctor said this should be remedied in plenty of time to prevent any issues.
Those slated to get first or second shots on Tuesday from city vaccination sites should have already received emails about rescheduling. The city says most make-up dates will be within a week.
"Rest assured, if you had an appointment, it will be rescheduled," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said on Tuesday. "You don't need to do anything."
Delays won't increase the risk of wasted vaccine. All delayed vials are frozen at proper temperatures to secure future use.
What is unclear is how many days the Chicago delay might last. City leaders will relay to the public their daily updates on timelines received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As for those second shots, Arwady said it won't be an issue, since you can get that second dose up to a week or so after the slated date.
So far, a total of 2,547,700 vaccine doses have been delivered to Illinois, and 1,903,942 inoculations have been administered statewide. Over the past week, the state is averaging 60,552 coronavirus immunizations per day. As of Tuesday night, a total of 446,015 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 3.5% of the population.
Meantime, IDPH reported 1,795 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, as well as 24 more deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 1,166,717 cases, including 20,057 deaths.
The statewide 7-day average case positivity rate stands at 2.8%, tied for the lowest it has been since July 9, when the rate was 2.6%. The state's case positivity rate is less than half of what it was a month ago.
As of Tuesday night, 1,719 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Illinois, including 375 in the ICU and 176 on ventilators. That's the lowest statewide hospitalization total since Oct. 6. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 have been cut nearly in half over the past month in Illinois, and are down 72% from the peak of 6,175 on Nov. 20.
