Illinoisans Age 16+ Can Get Vaccinated If Their County Has 'Low Demand'

Some parts of Illinois can start vaccinating people age 16 and up — but only those with “low demand” for the vaccine.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday (March 26) that vaccine eligibility would expand “where demand appears to have waned.” The state is also sending Rapid Response Vaccination Teams to five counties, according to the announcement. Several counties have shown dwindling demand for the vaccine.

“Recent increases in hospital admissions and test positivity are concerning new developments and we don’t want to go down the same path we’ve seen before and experience a resurgence in the pandemic, which is why Governor (J.B.) Pritzker directed us to use all our resources to halt these upticks,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in the release. “We cannot move forward if our metrics are going backward. The vaccine will help get us to the end of the pandemic, but we need to continue to reduce spread of the virus by wearing a mask, avoiding large crowds, keeping six feet of distance, getting tested after seeing others, and getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Illinois is expected to receive “an all-time high” of 1 million doses of the vaccine next week. The state Department fo Public Health said “all inventory should be used as quickly as possible.”

Illinoisans should contact their local health departments to determine whether vaccine eligibility has expanded, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

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