Joe Mahr and Angie Leventis Lourgos
Chicago Tribune (TNS)
Marj Leopardo is 85. Her husband, Sam, is 88. They both have health issues. And their days are now consumed with one thing: the vaccine hunt.
The Crystal Lake couple are, on paper, just the kind of people the government wants at the front of the vaccine line. But they live in a country that’s struggled with the rollout, and in a state that’s struggled more than others.
So that has meant reaching out daily to doctors’ offices, pharmacies, hospitals, the local health department. It has meant their daughter stalks websites to hunt for an elusive open appointment. And they watch others, in other suburbs and other states, snap up shots.
Late planning, decentralized oversight, a ‘Hunger Games’ sign-up: How Illinois has struggled more than most states rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine
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Late planning, decentralized oversight, a ‘Hunger Games’ sign-up: How Illinois has struggled more than most states rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine
Joe Mahr and Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune
February 6, 2021, 3:30 AM·17 min read
Marj Leopardo is 85. Her husband, Sam, is 88. They both have health issues. And their days are now consumed with one thing: the vaccine hunt.
The Crystal Lake couple are, on paper, just the kind of people the government wants at the front of the vaccine line. But they live in a country that’s struggled with the rollout, and in a state that’s struggled more than others.
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Jan. 26-Feb. 1 is 4.9%.
The test positivity rate is a metric the state began providing in late October. It is calculated by using the total number of positive tests over the total number of tests. This is the metric being used to by state health officials to make decisions about mitigations.
A total of 1,455,825 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago, with an additional 496,100 doses allocated to federal government partners for long-term care facilities, bringing the total number delivered in Illinois to 1,951,925.
IDPH reports that a total of 1,028,969 vaccine doses have been administered, including 163,592 at long-term facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered is 44,139.
CHICAGO (WLS) Illinois health officials reported 2,312 new COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths Monday as restrictions were rolled back in south suburban Will and Kankakee counties.
The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 1,128,613, with a total of 19,259 deaths, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 61,263 specimens for a total of 16,100,555.
Will, Kankakee counties enter Phase 4
Will and Kankakee counties officially entered Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan Monday, rolling back some of the state s strict guidelines that have been in place for months.
As of Feb. 1, select indoor recreation facilities like bowling alleys and skating rinks can operate at 50% capacity.