Will County Won't Expand Vaccine Eligibility Under Phase 1B

WILL COUNTY, IL — The Will County Health Department will not expand its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility under Phase 1B.

In a statement earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker had announced that in light of a steadily increasing federal vaccine supply, Illinois is making plans to expand Phase 1B eligibility on Feb. 25 to people who have comorbidities and underlying conditions as defined by the CDC. In addition, the state will also prioritize individuals with disabilities.

Pritzker said since taking office, the Biden administration has increased the vaccine supply by nearly 30 percent.

"As quickly as we receive enough vaccine supply, we need to waste no time in protecting a broader section of our most vulnerable population," he said. "Those who are under 65 and live with comorbidities, such as cancer survivors or those living with heart disease, have an elevated risk of serious complications or death if they contract COVID-19. Illinois is moving forward in accordance with guidance from the CDC to expand our eligible population as supply allows, getting us closer to the point when the vaccine is widely available to all who want it."

However, WCHD Spokesperson Steve Brandy said the department must "hold to the original 1B, serving mostly those 65 and older, due to vaccine supplies."

Ever since the first vaccine delivery in December, arrivals of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have been very sporadic, with little information about how much is coming and when. The health department said that it has been receiving a scant more than 2,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine incrementally which is making vaccinating its nearly 700,000 residents a great challenge.

"We do not have adequate vaccine supplies to expand to what is now referred to as 1B-plus at the present time," Brandy said.

There has also been a steep decrease in the number of vaccines that are being doled out in Will County. Currently, daily average of doses administered is 2,822, whereas a week earlier, it was 2,973. As of Tuesday, 3.64 percent of the total county population has been fully vaccinated against the virus, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The decision made by WCHD was echoed by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle who said in a joint statement that at this time, "we are not being supplied with enough doses that would allow us to expand eligibility in these phases."

"Doing so in Chicago and Cook County would add well over one million additional people to 1b, and the result would be that those currently eligible, including seniors, frontline essential workers and those in our most heavily COVID-burdened communities, would have an even harder time getting a vaccine," the release said.

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