DuPage leads region in fully vaccinated rate
DuPage County leads the metro region in percentage of people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, although Chicago has the advantage in terms of sheer numbers, state data indicated Wednesday.
A total of 419,378 DuPage residents, equaling 45% of the county's population, have received either Pfizer's or Moderna's two-dose vaccine or Johnson & Johnson's one-shot version.
Cook County follows with 40.8% of its residents fully inoculated, or 1,008,294 people. Next is Chicago with 1,029,765 individuals vaccinated, or 38% of the city.
In Kane County, 196,365 people are fully vaccinated, or 36.8% of residents; in Will County, 253,444 individuals are fully inoculated, or 36.6%; and in McHenry County, 110,180 people received all their shots, or 35.7%.
In Lake County, 249,527 residents are fully vaccinated - 35.6% of the eligible population - according to Illinois Department of Public Health records.
Asked about the lag, Lake County Department of Health spokeswoman Hannah Goering noted "we are closer to the Wisconsin border and know that many of our residents who work or receive health care in Wisconsin, or who just found an appointment over state lines earlier on, would not be reflected in the state's data.
"Second, some jurisdictions got a significantly higher vaccine supply earlier on. With receiving our supply later and completing second doses, we would expect Lake County's fully vaccinated rate to catch up in a few weeks."
Statewide, 4,888,879 people - nearly 38.4% of Illinois' population - have been fully vaccinated. Among those age 12 and older, the vaccination rate is 44%. No vaccines are approved for use in children 11 or younger.
New cases of COVID-19 totaled 1,633 Wednesday, higher than the seven-day average of 1,513.
Twenty-eight additional people died of the respiratory disease, the IDPH reported. Wednesday's tally is lower than the seven-day average of 30. The majority of fatalities, or 23, were individuals 70 and older. However, a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s, both from Cook County, also died.
On Tuesday, 117,381 more COVID-19 shots were administered, a spike from recent days that reflects delayed reports from pharmacies, the IDPH said. The seven-day average is 62,884.
The federal government has delivered 12,967,785 doses of vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December, and 10,551,158 shots have been administered.
Hospitals were treating 1,518 COVID-19 patients Tuesday night, compared to the seven-day average of 1,595 people.
The state's seven-day average case positivity rate is 2.3%.
Total cases statewide stand at 1,370,342, and 22,494 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.
Labs processed 67,166 virus tests in the last 24 hours.