Others Illinoisans in vulnerable groups will become eligible for vaccinations in the weeks before that date

Gov. Pritzker will announce Thursday that on April 12, vaccine eligibility will expand to any Illinoisan 16 and over, according to two people familiar with the state’s plans. The sources could not confirm a Chicago Tribune report that the expansion will not apply to Chicago. The city receives a separate vaccine allocation from the federal government than the state.

Others Illinoisans in vulnerable groups will become eligible for vaccinations in the weeks before that date. Supply will still not be sufficient to vaccinate everyone eligible on that date, but city and state officials have said they expect supply to pick up in April and May.

Further guidance on large indoor gatherings and outdoor events like weddings, graduations, festivals, parades and sporting events will be released Thursday.

The state is also expected to announce details tomorrow on a “bridge phase” between the current Phase 4 and the coming Phase 5. During the bridge phase, more pandemic restrictions will be lifted.
That interim phase will begin when 70 percent of people 65 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. Currently, 59 percent of seniors have received their first dose.

Phase 5 would begin when at least half of Illinois residents 16 and older have received their first dose. Currently, 18 percent of those between 16 and 64 have received theirs.

A source familiar with Chicago’s vaccine rollout plans said the city could move to the next phase of its rollout plan — Phase 2, which would include people 16 and older — sooner than its planned May 31 expansion, if supply increases. Currently Chicago is in Phase 1B, with plans to move to 1C at the end of this month.

Earlier:

Chicago will move to its next vaccination phase — 1C — as expected on March 29, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced today, citing progress the city has made in fighting COVID-19. But health officials say the supply of doses still isn’t matching demand.

Phase 1C includes a majority of adult Chicagoans, people ages 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, and all other essential workers, including in in these industries: finance; food and beverage; retail; higher education; IT and communications; legal; media; government; personal care services; construction; real estate; hotels; and transportation and logistics workers. Read the full list here. See the latest city and state COVID figures in the charts below.
The city will not have enough vaccine for every newly eligible person in Chicago right away, Lightfoot warned. “April will even look better. . . .It will take us some time, because of the limited supply that we are still getting, but hope is on the way.” Watch the whole news conference below.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said she was surprised to hear President Biden’s announcement that all adults would be vaccine eligible by May 1, but she took it “as a sign that the federal government is confident the vaccine supply will ramp up” quickly over the spring.

Roughly 600 health care providers are signed up and ready to administer vaccines in Chicago, but most have been waiting for supply to increase. Arwady promised the launch of more mass vaccination sites, in addition to the ability to get shots at regular health care providers and pharmacies.

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