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player ready...About one month after the first COVID-19 vaccines first became available, a little more than 1% of DuPage County residents have received both doses, according to county and state data.
The Illinois Department of Public Health began publishing vaccination data this week, giving the public a glimpse into how things are proceeding on a county by county level.
DUPAGE COUNTY
DuPage County had administered 36,227 vaccine doses as of Thursday, data shows.
Of the county’s 900,000-plus population, 10,103 had received the two doses necessary for about 95% protection from COVID-19. DuPage is just one of four Illinois counties to have at least 1% of its residents fully inoculated, according to the data.
Vaccination efforts this week continued to focus on ensuring health care workers included in phase 1a of the plan receive their first or second doses, according to the county health department’s weekly vaccine update posted Wednesday.
“We understand some counties throughout the state are ready to move into phase 1b,” health department Executive Director Karen Ayala said in the update.
“However, here in DuPage County we remain committed to vaccinating the thousands of health care personnel who have signed-up to receive vaccine appointments. … We ask residents for their patience as we continue to move forward in our vaccination efforts of phase 1a.”
The health department has been receiving and distributing about 11,000 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines per week, the update said. A peak was hit Tuesday when more than 4,000 shot were given in just one day, state data said.
State health department spokeswoman Stephanie Calvillo said they estimate it will take about three more weeks to complete the phase 1a vaccination. Phase 1b could start as soon as early February, she said.
WILL COUNTY
Will County had administered 20,634 vaccine doses as of Thursday, with 6,027 were fully vaccinated, state data said. That represents about .87% of the county’s population.
“We are still weeks away from going into phase 1b,” Will County Health Department spokesman Steve Brandy.
The hope is that will start in late February, which is later than some counties because Will has multiple hospitals and a high number of health care personnel.
“Many (health care workers) are coming out of the wood works,” Brandy said. “There’s still a lot to take care of in phase 1a.”
About 70,000 people have completed the health department’s vaccination registration survey at willcountyhealth.org, he said, which is helping them figure out what a likely timetable might be for the roll out of future phases. The survey will also allow them to alert residents about future vaccine clinics and appointments, he said.
EDWARD HOSPITAL
About 5,200 of the Edward-Elmhurst hospital system’s 8,800 employees — about 60% of its workforce — have received the first dose of the vaccine, hospital spokesman Keith Hartenberger said. The number includes employees who work at Edward in Naperville and the Elmhurst hospital.
Some employees had put off receiving their dose until this week, Infection Control & Prevention Medical Director Jonathan Pinsky said.
“There are many who were hesitant (to get the vaccine in December) for a variety of reasons. Many waited to see how others felt,” Pinsky said.
As of Friday morning, Edward was treating 47 inpatients with confirmed cases of COVID-19. That’s 20 fewer that had been reported on Jan. 6.
Two patients died in the same period from COVID complications, bringing the total to 130 since the start of the pandemic, hospital data said.
Five inpatients with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were discharged from Edward between Thursday and Friday, bringing its total to 1,575 discharged COVID-19 patients since March 24.
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The number of admissions is lower than the peaks they experienced in October and November, Pinsky said. One reason may be because the outbreaks reported in some nursing homes have been contained, he said.
Hospitalizations also may have decreased because they are now able to prescribe a monoclonal antibody treatment, which has kept some high-risk people and seniors over 65 from needing hospital treatment, he said.
There was a surge in admissions early last week, possibly tied to Christmas gatherings, Pinsky said, but they have yet to see large increase because of New Year’s gatherings.
“I think there has been less travel. It probably could have been a lot worse,” he said. “For the most part, I think people did follow the (travel and gatherings) guidelines.”
COVID CASE COUNTS
DuPage County has reported 64,544 COVID-19 cases and 1,041 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to its dashboard data as of Friday. The health department has reported 5,458 cases on the DuPage side of Naperville, the highest among DuPage communities.
Will County has reported 57,871 cases and 796 deaths since the spring, its dashboard data says.
Overall, Naperville has had 8,087 cases and 116 deaths since the start of the pandemic when data from DuPage and Will counties is combined.
Freelance reporter Alicia Fabbre contributed.