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To:
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Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members
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From:
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Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805
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Re:
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Governor Pritzker Extends Vaccination Eligibility and Announces “Bridge Phase” Reopening Plan
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Governor Pritzker Extends Vaccination Eligibility and Announces “Bridge Phase” Reopening Plan: Due to an increasing national vaccine supply, Governor Pritzker announced today an extended eligibility plan for those 16 and older in the state (except Chicago) to start receiving vaccinations starting April 12. The state is now averaging 100,000 vaccine administrations per day. So far, the state has administered vaccines to more than 1 in 4 Illinois adults over the age of 16, including over 58% of Illinoisans ages 65 and over. To date, the FDA has authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use in 16-year-old and up. The J&J and Moderna vaccines are only authorized for those 18 and older.
Currently, all vaccines are administered by appointment only. While vaccine eligibility is expanding on April 12th, making an appointment to receive a shot may take time. Information regarding vaccination locations as well as details on how to book an appointment to receive the vaccine can be found at the state’s COVID website. Residents who are not currently eligible to receive the vaccine cannot schedule an appointment for a future date. Residents are encouraged to be patient in the days and weeks following April 12th as vaccination appointments may be limited.
Bridge to Phase 5 Plan: As a result of these increased vaccinations, Governor Pritzker also announced today his administration’s Bridge to Phase 5 Plan which will serve as a transition period with higher capacity limits and increased business operations. All 11 regions of the state will move through this phase and ultimately to Phase 5 together. The state’s mask mandate and social distancing will continue in accordance with current CDC guidance.
To advance into the Bridge Phase, the entire state must reach a 70% first dose vaccination rate for residents 65 and over, maintain a 20% or lower ICU bed availability rate and hold steady on COVID-19 and COVID-like illness hospital admissions, mortality rate, and case rate over a 28-day monitoring period.
To advance completely into Phase 5, the state must reach a 50% vaccination rate for residents age 16 and over and meet the same metrics and rates required to enter the transition phase, over an additional 28-day period. In addition, individuals with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) 1-3 days prior to an event or outing do not count against capacity limits.
However, it should be noted that the state of Illinois will revert back to an earlier phase if over the course of 10 days the state experiences an increasing trend in COVID-19 illnesses, hospital admissions, a decrease in ICU bed availability, an increase in the mortality rate, and an increasing case rate.
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