J & J vaccine's return hailed by Cook County officials

Cook County health officials Saturday hailed the return of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the fight against COVID-19.

The vaccine, halted while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigated fears it caused blood clots in some women, is “safe, effective and it's important to continue using it,” said Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer and colead of the Cook County Department of Public Health.

Of more than 8 million people who got the one-dose J & J vaccine, 15 women ages 18 to 49 developed blood clots. “You are much more at risk of getting a blood clot if you get COVID,” Rubin noted.

Rubin said the return of use of the one-shot J & J vaccine is central to the goal to get 80 percent of people vaccinated to attain community immunity as the focus moves to giving shots in neighborhoods as well as in homes for those who cannot travel. The county has more than 200 mobile pop-up clinics scheduled, she said.

And beginning Monday, all Cook County Health mass vaccination sites will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for walk-ins. The Pfizer vaccine will be available to anyone 16 or older at the following sites: 1155 E. Oakton St. in Des Plaines; 4647 Promenade Way in Matteson; Triton College, 2000 5th Ave., in River Grove; South Suburban College, 15800 State St. in South Holland; and 7630 W. Roosevelt Road in Forest Park. The Moderna vaccine is available to anyone 18 or older at 18451 Convention Center Drive in Tinley Park.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that 125,524 vaccine doses were administered Friday. The seven-day rolling average is 113,814 doses. The department also reported 2,907 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus and 25 deaths, numbers on a par with recent days.

“We are hopeful we have peaked or plateaued,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, the other colead of the Cook County health department. He urged everyone to get vaccinated, wear masks in crowds or when with people who might be at risk, follow social distancing guidelines and wash hands frequently.

Deaths reported Saturday included nine people from Cook County, one from DuPage County, three from Kane County, one from McHenry County and two from Will County. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests from April 17-23 is 3.5%, down 0.1% from the previous day.

As of Friday night, 2,048 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19, down 64 people from the previous day. Of those, 462 patients were in the ICU, down 44, and 234 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators, up four.