April 18, 2024
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Vaccine rollout has seen 3,514 doses administered in La Salle County

Bureau County at 1,264 doses; Livingston County at 993

By J.T. Pedelty
Joseph Friday, a resident of the Timbers of Shorewood, receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens Pharmacists Sue Hogan at Timbers of Shorewood on January 7, 2021, in Shorewood, Ill.

Joseph Friday, a resident of the Timbers of Shorewood, receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens Pharmacist Sue Hogan on Jan. 7, 2021, in Shorewood. (Photo provided)

The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday began reporting COVID-19 disease vaccination data on its website, with data to be updated daily and additional data to be provided as available.

It is important to note that vaccine distribution figures are reported in real time while vaccine administration figures are reported with as much as a 72-hour lag.

In La Salle County, 3,514 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, per Tuesday’s data, with 724 residents (0.66% of the population) fully vaccinated against the disease.

In Bureau County, 1,264 doses have been administered, per Tuesday’s data, with 212 residents (0.64% of the population) fully vaccinated against the disease.

In Livingston County, 993 doses have been administered, per Tuesday’s data, with 35 residents (0.10% of the population) fully vaccinated against the disease.

In Putnam County, 204 doses have been administered, per Tuesday’s data, with 33 residents (0.57% of the population) fully vaccinated against the disease.

La Salle County is in Phase 1A of vaccine administration, which includes health care personnel and long-term care facilities. It is unknown how long the county will remain in this phase, as timing depends on the quantity of doses received each week and the number of interested persons in this phase.

“The La Salle County Health Department understands the general public has questions about when it will be their turn to receive the vaccine,” the LCHD said last week. “Please note, as vaccine availability increases, vaccination recommendations will expand to include more groups. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as large quantities of vaccine are available.”

The La Salle County Health Department is planning for Phase 1B and is working to determine eligible organizations and doses needed at future clinics. It is not keeping a list of interested community members for future phases. As La Salle County moves to Phase 1B, information and directions will be made available for how to register for the vaccine once eligible.

Statewide, as of Monday night, 638,150 doses of the vaccine were delivered to providers in Illinois. In addition, about 231,475 doses have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 869,625.

IDPH currently is reporting a total of 353,791 vaccines administered, including 41,075 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 24,200 doses.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have used data to guide our decisions and actions, and we will continue to do so for vaccine administration,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. “Illinois is a very diverse state, geographically and in the make-up of its population. It is important to track where we are seeing both high and low vaccination rates. These data will help us understand what actions we can take to end this pandemic as quickly as possible.”

Vaccination data can be found on the IDPH website at www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccinedata.