COVID-19 vaccinations decline by nearly 40%
The average daily number of COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois has dropped by nearly 40% in a month, Illinois Department of Public Health data shows.
The seven-day average for shots administered is 65,750, the IDPH reported Friday. Compared to April 7, when the tally was an average of 107,302 inoculations a day, that's a 38.7% decrease.
Public health experts say a majority of the people who wanted the COVID-19 vaccine and were eligible in Illinois have either been fully vaccinated, have had one shot or have set up an appointment. Now efforts are turning to increasing access to vulnerable communities and persuading individuals who are skeptical or laissez-faire about vaccines to get inoculated.
New cases of COVID-19 totaled 3,321 Friday, the most since April 30, with 36 more deaths from the respiratory disease.
On Thursday, 73,526 more COVID-19 shots were administered.
The federal government has delivered 12,390,875 doses of vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December, and 9,719,958 shots have been administered.
So far, 4,334,906 people have been fully vaccinated, 34% of Illinois' 12.7 million population. Vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna require two doses several weeks apart. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is a one-dose shot.
Illinois hospital were treating 1,977 COVID-19 patients Thursday night, lower than the 2,006 seven-day average.
The state's seven-day average case positivity rate is 3.1%.
Total cases statewide stand at 1,351,497. As of Friday, 22,171 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.
Labs processed 101,005 virus tests in the last 24 hours.