FDA, CDC Approve Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine for 12-15 Year Old’s: The US Food and Drug Administration this week extended its emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine for 12–15-year old’s.  Today, advisers to the CDC voted to recommend the use of this vaccine for the same age groups.  It’s expected that the CDC Director will quickly sign off on this recommendation.

State of Illinois Launches Vaccination Sites at Work Buildings: To further expand convenient opportunities for residents to get vaccinated, the state launched a new program this week which offers building workers and returning office staff a chance to get their shot at work.

The effort launches with 10 sites in Chicago, Schaumburg and Rockford, including the Merchandise Mart and the Wrigley Building. The state is partnering with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) to encourage front desk staff, custodial workers, security, building engineers and other employees to sign up for an appointment in advance, and outreach will be conducted to neighboring buildings as well. The clinics offer two-dose vaccinations and will also take walk-ins.

Beginning in mid-May, the following buildings will be included in the first wave of the program:

• Merchandise Mart, 222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago
• Harris Bank Building, 115 S. LaSalle Street, Chicago
• 540 W. Madison Street, Chicago
• Equitable Building, 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
• 150 N. Riverside Plaza, Chicago
• 311 South Wacker (Walgreens at 250 S Wacker Dr), Chicago
• Wrigley Building, 400-410 North Michigan Avenue (Walgreens at 410 N Michigan Ave), Chicago
• 308 W. State Street, Rockford
• 1111 S. Alpine Road, Rockford
• 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg

Dates and times will be promoted in advance, which have been strategically chosen around shift changes to allow as many workers to take advantage of this opportunity as possible.

Illinois building operators interested in hosting additional clinics are encouraged to contact the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) directly or contact the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) in Chicago.

Illinois is also supporting vaccination clinics for community organizations across the state such as churches and other religious organizations, neighborhood associations, mutual aid groups, nonprofits, and immigrant service providers.  Interested community organizations can sign up to host a clinic at no cost (IDPH will provide the staff and supplies). The form for this program can be found at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccinationclinics

Can You Require Your Employees to Get the COVID Vaccine?
Industry Week – May 10, 2021https://www.industryweek.com/operations/safety/article/21163725/can-you-require-your-employees-to-get-the-covid-vaccine

The short answer is yes, you can: If that’s what you deem to be the best route for your organization. For example, if you manufacture medical supplies or you’re in industrial food prep, you may feel it’s necessary to ensure the safety of your employees and the end user of your product.

Free Vaccination Clinic Announced for Village of Algonquin: A free COVID-19 vaccination clinic is being set up in conjunction with Walgreens and the Village of Algonquin on Saturday, May 15, 2021 and Saturday, June 5, 2021. At this time, this clinic is open to anyone ages 12 and older, per recent FDA and CDC authorization.   

Walgreens will be administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is administered as a two-dose series, 3 weeks apart. This means that those who take advantage of the May 15 clinic will need to be available to attend the same clinic on June 5.

Clinic Details:

1st Shot Clinic

Saturday, May 15, 2021
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Algonquin Public Works Facility, 110 Meyer Dr., Algonquin, IL 60102

2nd Shot Clinic - *Must attend 1st Shot Clinic to attend*

Saturday, June 5, 2021
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Algonquin Public Works Facility, 110 Meyer Dr., Algonquin, IL 60102

Participants can book an appointment ahead of time by registering here. Walk-in vaccinations will also be available. Insurance and proof of identification is NOT required to receive a vaccination. 

Bridge to Phase 5 Starts this Friday, Full Re-Opening June 11:  The state will begin the Bridge to Phase 5 this Friday, May 14.  Once 50% of residents 16 and older have been fully vaccinated and stable or declining COVID-19 metrics are recorded during a 28-day monitoring period, Phase 5, or a full re-opening without capacity limits, will begin June 11. To date, 57% of residents 16 and older and 81% 65 and older have received their first vaccine dose.  In addition, the city of Chicago is also on target to move into the bridge phase of its own reopening plan, in conjunction with the state, this Friday.

It was also announced last week that with vaccine supply outweighing demand, the state is working to make vaccinations more convenient for residents by funneling doses to primary care doctors, noting that more than 1,000 doctors’ offices have signed up to offer vaccination shots.

State officials also stated that guidance will be forthcoming to help businesses prepare for new regulations. 

Update on Vaccinations: A total of 10,110,969 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The average number of vaccines administered daily is 80,591. As of yesterday, 73,345 doses were administered in the state.

According to the state’s vaccine administration data, 4,607,114 people, or 36.16% of the state’s population, have been fully vaccinated with DuPage County leading the state at a 42% fully vaccinated rate.

Additionally, the state has updated its COVID-19 website containing current locations and other pertinent information on one webpage.

ACC Tracker with State Vaccine Updates & COVID-19 Orders:  The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has again updated its comprehensive COVID-19 Tracker (attached to this Update) with separate charts illustrating state vaccine plans, including documents detailing updated state specific orders and mitigation measures as well as executive orders and legislation relating to business liability. 

Canada COVID-19 Information: For those members who would like to receive information about vaccination protocols and COVID-19 restrictions in Canada, please reach out to Mark Biel at [email protected] to be added to the distribution list. Our friends at the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada have been kind enough to share their COVID-19 information with us.  In addition, here is Canada's COVID-19 immunization plan.  

Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is reporting 1,359,748 positive tests of COVID-19 in Illinois, an average increase of 1,907 new positive tests per day since reported here 7 days ago on May 5.  In total, 23,505,414 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average increase of 77,175 per day since May 5. 

The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions is at 2.7% for the last 7 days, more than a half of a percentage drop from last week.  You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations, and other metrics at this link. 

Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 22,285 deaths, an average increase of 27 per day since May 5.

You can also check where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak.

Also, IDPH has a case breakdown of the number of positive cases in Chicago and each county relative to the number of fatalities.  The IDPH website also now includes a breakdown of the cases under each zip code in the state.

For information on other states and countries, John Hopkins University has developed this website that provides invaluable resources at a one-stop location detailing testing and tracing trends, timelines of COVID-19 policies, vaccinations, and interactive maps.

1400 E. Touhy Ave, Suite 110
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Tel: (847) 544-5995
Fax: (847) 544-5999