2 Of 3 Most Vaccinated ZIP Codes In Chicago Suburbs In Skokie

SKOKIE, IL — New data from state public health officials shows Skokie residents are significantly more vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus than state and county averages. But the ZIP code level data also shows a disparity in vaccination rates between different parts of the village.

There are nearly 45,000 people fully vaccinated across Skokie's trio of postal codes as of Tuesday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The rates range from a low of 64 percent in the 60077 ZIP code on the village's west side to nearly 78 percent in the 60203 ZIP code to the east, in the neighborhood better known as "Skevanston."

In the 60076 ZIP code, more than 73 percent of residents have received both doses. That makes the two east Skokie postal codes the second and third most-vaccinated areas of the north suburbs, only trailing a Northbrook ZIP code.

Even the least vaccinated part of the village is still notably more inoculated than the suburban Cook County average of 58 percent or Chicago's 54 percent vaccination rate. The vaccination rate is about 69 percent in Lincolnwood and Evanston ZIP codes.

More than 200 of the state's nearly 1,400 postal codes, mostly in rural areas, had less than 30 percent of their populations vaccinated, according to IDPH.

Meanwhile, 10 sparsely populated ZIP codes have 100 percent of their populations vaccinated.

Three with populations of 10,000 or more — two in Chicago's near North Side and one in Naperville — have more than 75 percent of their residents vaccinated, according to state data.

---

Federal public health officials have announced plans to offer booster shots to all adults who have received a vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna starting Sept. 20.

Health regulators have already approved boosters for certain immunocompromised people in an effort to offset the potential that the immunity the vaccine provides against coronavirus infections could wane after six to eight months.

Related: 3rd COVID-19 Shot Available To Some Illinoisans: Where To Get It

But even as the government plans to begin to offer third jabs, there are still millions of adults who have not received a first dose.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7.57 million adult Illinois residents, or nearly 77 percent of the population aged 18 or over, have received at least one dose. More than 60 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

That means about 5.25 million Illinois residents have not yet received a dose of vaccine.

The daily average number of doses administered in the state stood at about 40,000 Wednesday. The seven-day rolling average reached a peak of more than 130,000 in mid-April before falling below 15,000 a day in the second week of July.

Related: COVID-19 Transmission Level "High" In Skokie And Surrounding Area

While there is no data available about the number of vaccinated people who test positive for the coronavirus in Illinois, also known as breakthrough infections, there were 1,056 fully vaccinated people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, according to state health data.

Nearly 97 percent of the more than 7,000 people who have died from COVID-19 complications in Illinois since January have been unvaccinated, according to the state data, with just 223 deaths among those who have been fully vaccinated.

According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, there have been 161 deaths of Skokie residents since the start of the pandemic, including two this month. There were no deaths among residents between June 18 and Aug. 5.

Not everyone in the village is on board with its vaccination efforts. During a period of public comment following Skokie Public Health Director Mike Charley's COVID-19 presentation at Monday's meeting of the Skokie Village Board, several residents — including one who said she was afraid to tell Mayor George Van Dusen her name — shared false statistics, misinformation and conspiracy theories about the vaccine and its effects.