After leading US in testing, Illinois now falling behind in vaccinating

The state of Illinois has only given out about half of the vaccine doses it currently has.

The state ranks 18th in the country when it comes to vaccinating residents, and one local doctor and mayor both say that is not OK.

"We don't have a supply issue, we have the supply. It just hasn't been distributed," said University of Illinois Cancer Center Dr. Shikha Jain.

According to the CDC, Illinois has received 427,150 COVID-19 vaccine doses but only 41 percent, or 176,577 shots, have been given.

Doctor Jain says we need a plan -- a national plan to be exact.

"Back in the middle of December, Pfizer actually was reported to say we have millions of vaccines sitting here waiting to be distributed. We need the federal government to tell us where to send it," Dr. Jain said.

Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot also has her eyes on the federal government, tweeting in part, "At the current rate of dose allocation from the federal government, it would take 71 weeks, nearly one and a half years, to fully vaccinate the entire city. We need more vaccine. Now."

The demand by Mayor Lightfoot comes as Illinois’ positivity rate is nearing 10 percent with another 5,059 cases reported Monday and an additional 79 deaths.

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Cook County health officials are now asking residents to go online and enter some personal information to stay up to date on when mass vaccinations may begin.

Dr. Jain says efforts like these will help keep the ball rolling, because right now the goal of vaccinating the general public by summer is looking bleak.

"Right now we're at risk of not until the fall or even later, some people are saying with the rate we're going now, it's going to be years before the majority of our population gets vaccinated. That is not okay," Dr. Jain said.

Nationally, the country has administered 4.5 million shots out of 15 million distributed.