Chicago dining Saturday, Phase 1B Monday
Pritzker admits ‘frustrating’ shortage of vaccines, blames Trump, lauds Biden
Chicagoans appear on the verge of once again having deep-dish pizza served at table, as with this pie at the popular Pequod’s Pizza. (Facebook)
By Ted Cox
Chicago and its immediate suburbs appear ready to resume indoor dining Saturday, while the entire state prepares to move on to the next phase of the national COVID-19 vaccination plan on Monday, greatly expanding those eligible to receive a shot.
The “frustrating” thing about that, Gov. Pritzker said Friday, is that there won’t be enough vaccines to go around.
Illinois moves from Phase 1A to 1B on Monday, Pritzker said at a coronavirus briefing at the Thompson Center in Chicago. That opens vaccinations to 1.3 million frontline essential workers — including police, firefighters, teachers, and employees at grocery stores and in public transit — along with another 1.9 million people 65 and older. But, according to Pritzker and Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state is expecting just 126,000 new vaccines to be delivered next week, enough for just a small fraction of the 3.2 million newly eligible.
“Until the vaccine supply increases, we will all need to be patient,” Pritzker said.
The governor blamed the outgoing Trump administration, saying it “has never lived up to its promises.” Not only is there an insufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines just as the nation opens up the shots to more people, Pritzker also said he was “very troubled” by the “slow pace” of vaccinations under Phase 1A for residents and workers at long-term-care facilities like nursing homes, an assignment the Trump administration farmed out to Walgreens and CVS.
Pritzker said there was already a “noticeable difference” under President Biden, and he praised the newly inaugurated president for invoking the Defense Production Act to streamline vaccine production and distribution going forward. Although of course it will take time for those initiatives to gain traction, Pritzker said, “It finally feels like help is on the way.”
Both Pritzker and Ezike said that, while there’s a vaccine shortage, eligible Illinoisans should try to sign up for an appointment through the state’s coronavirus website, which will soon have links to Walgreens, CVS, Jewel/Osco, and others to follow, including Hy-Vee, Mariano’s, and Kroger, as well as local public health departments. There, state residents can sign up for a local appointment for a vaccination. The Illinois National Guard has also opened six vaccination sites in Cook County, and it’s expected to eventually have 25 other shot sites statewide.
For now, however, Pritzker said the “vaccine supply is limited all across the nation,” with “far greater demand than supply for at least the near term.” He added, “It is frustrating, I must say,” that public officials can’t even give firm estimates of when Phase 1B will be completed, much less when the vaccine will be opened to everyone on a walk-in basis. Pritkzer said it would be “irresponsible to set a date” given the uncertainties.
“Until the vaccine supply increases, we will all need to be patient.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (Illinois.gov)
“Our objective is simple,” Ezike said. “End this pandemic as quickly as possible.”
Ezike reported 7,042 newly confirmed cases Friday, bringing the state total to the brink of 1.1 million, while 95 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 took the statewide toll to 18,615. The slightly higher new case count, she added, was due to the state now including probable cases. Even so, the total test positivity rate dropped to 5 percent, the lowest level since mid-October.
“I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making as a state,” Pritzker said.
Region 4 in the Restore Illinois plan, Metro East, qualified to ease restrictions and move to Tier 2. It was the last of the state’s 11 regions to ease statewide restrictions imposed just before Thanksgiving. Ezike and Pritzker said Chicago and its Cook County suburbs were on track to move from Tier 2 to Tier 1, allowing indoor dining with limited capacity, on Saturday, and that a formal announcement would be forthcoming.
State rules call for bars to serve food in order to offer indoor service, but Chicago has clarified that bars working with food partners or allowing deliveries would be allowed to have customers indoors.
Under the Restore Illinois Regional Dashboard, central and southern Illinois have moved back to Phase 4, the last phase before all COVID restrictions are removed. If Chicago and Cook County move to Tier 1 Saturday, only the north and west Chicago collar counties and Metro East would remain under Tier 2, banning indoor service at bars and restaurants.
Pritzker and Ezike warned, however, of a more contagious British strain of COVID-19 that’s been detected in Illinois, as well as other variants that have originated in South Africa, Nigeria, and Brazil. They urged Illinoisans to continue to wear a mask, wash hands, and watch social distancing to avoid another surge
“Reduced mitigation does not mean abandoned mitigation,” Ezike said. “This is not the time to suspend using masks.” She added that if citizens are diligent in taking measures not to transmit the disease, they can “tamp down” any resurgence.
Pritzker called on Illinoisans to “power through the final months of the pandemic together.”