Fewer Coronavirus Vaccines Coming To Kane Co. As Priorities Shift

KANE COUNTY, IL — Coronavirus vaccines could be even harder to get over the next few weeks in Kane County as public health officials work to secure second doses for those who have already received one shot.

With officials prioritizing second doses during the second half of February, fewer people in Kane County will get their first dose of the vaccine, the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a news release.

The focus on second doses has led the Kane County Health Department to pause large vaccination clinics, the Kane County Chronicle reports.

Officials said they hope first-dose shipments increase again in March.

“Over the next several weeks, as the number of first doses administered decreases to account for the limited amount of vaccine, we will begin to see a balancing of vaccine available for both doses,” IDPH officials said.

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Kane County Health Department officials are expected to release more details about the vaccine reduction this week.

Kane County is struggling to keep pace with many of its neighbors in terms of vaccinating its residents. Eighty of Illinois’ 101 counties were outpacing Kane County’s vaccination rate, as of Monday.

Kane County had fully vaccinated 12,832 people, or about 2.4 percent of its population, by Monday, the state’s data shows. About 32,000 others in the county had received the first dose of the vaccine.

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Other counties in the area had higher rates Monday — DuPage: 3.71 percent; suburban Cook: 3.12 percent; Kendall: 2.94 percent; Will: 2.82 percent; DeKalb: 2.76 percent; McHenry: 2.48 percent.

Adams County has the highest vaccination rate of any Illinois county, with 10.17 percent of its 65,691 residents fully vaccinated, according to IDPH data. More than 90,000 people have been vaccinated in Chicago, which represents about 3.37 percent of its 2.7 million population.

Alexander County has the lowest vaccination rate — 0.36 percent. Just 22 of its 6,000-plus residents had received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the state’s data shows.

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