State tops 8 million vaccine shots; Chicago set to expand eligibility

More than 8 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have now gone into the arms of Illinoisans, state health officials announced Sunday, as Chicago prepares to expand eligibility to all adults, beginning Monday.

Since mid-December, Illinois has doled out 8,054,634 coronavirus vaccines, including another 115,330 doses Saturday.

Of that, just over 3,330,000 million people in Illinois are fully vaccinated, meaning two weeks removed from their final dose, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website. That’s about 26% of the state’s population.

All residents 16 and older have been eligible for the vaccine since last week, with the exception of Chicago. City providers are set to expand eligibility to all adults, beginning Monday.

“I am encouraged by our increased vaccination rates, but we also continue to see a slow and persistent increase in COVID-19 case counts, especially among younger Chicagoans,” Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement.

In a statement, Mayor Lori Lightfoot encouraged Chicagoans to get vaccinated while also calling for patience in getting an appointment because the city’s vaccine supply is still limited.

Chicagoans can book appointments at zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling (312) 7464835. Residents can also use the city’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to identify additional vaccine providers, including Costco Pharmacies, CVS, Jewel Osco, Mariano’s and Walgreens, who handle their own scheduling.

Illinois has started to show signs it could be rebounding from its third viral resurgence.

State health officials on Sunday reported 2,666 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed among the 70,106 tests processed by the Illinois Department of Public Health in the last day. That lowered the statewide seven-day positivity rate to 4%. State health officials also reported an additional 10 virus-related deaths Sunday.