IL Lawmakers Cut Line For COVID Vaccine, Gov Will Wait His Turn

ILLINOIS — Illinois lawmakers can move to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday.

"At the request of members of the General Assembly, any of the 177 state legislators who wish to be inoculated will be allowed to receive their vaccine in phase 1b," Pritzker's office said in a statement, according to the Chicago Tribune. "The state of Illinois has urgent and vital business that must be addressed, and we hope that the General Assembly will engage in a robust and productive schedule in coming weeks and months."

Some elected officials in Chicago had already been eligible for shots under local health department rules — Mayor Lori Lightfoot got hers last week — but those in Springfield were left out. The rule change adds the state's 177 state lawmakers to about 5,100 U.S. postal workers and 200 local elected officials who were bumped to Phase 1b to keep the government functioning.

Most other government workers will not get the vaccine until Phase 1c or Phase 2, which is what the CDC recommends.

About 3.2 million others are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Phase 1b, including Illinois residents 65 and older, front-line essential workers and — thanks to another recent change — prison inmates.

The Chicago mayor wanted her vaccination to set an example for minority communities who may be distrustful because of racism in the medical profession.

“To those of you who are hesitant, we are here to tell you the vaccine is safe,” Lightfoot said, according to the Tribune. “We want you to take it because it is safe and because it will save your life.”

Gov. Pritzker, meanwhile, says he won't cut the line.

“I’m waiting my turn," Pritzker said, according to the Tribune. "I think it’s important for many of us to set an example in that way."

According to the state, 2,079,525 doses of the vaccine have been delivered to providers across Illinois. To date, 1,094,135 doses have been administered to Illinois residents — about 45,000 per day and just over half the total doses shipped to the state.

On Wednesday, state health officials reported 3,314 new cases of the virus and 69 more deaths from COVID-19. In all, 1.1 million Illinoisans have been infected and 19,375 have died.