Over Half Of Lake County Seniors Have Gotten A COVID-19 Vaccine

WAUKEGAN, IL — Public health officials announced Thursday that more than half of Lake County residents aged 65 or older had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 23,250 Lake County seniors have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister said 51.1 percent of those over 65 in the county had been jabbed once or more. He encouraged residents to explore their vaccination options and take the first available appointment.

"Through our mass vaccination efforts and partnerships with local hospitals, healthcare providers, private businesses, schools, and municipalities, we're gaining momentum in our fight against COVID-19," Pfister said in a statement.

"This week alone, our Health Department has invited over 12,000 seniors age 65 and older to schedule their appointments at the Lake County Fairgrounds through the AllVax system.”

Health department officials announced appointments had opened this week for all remaining members of the Phase 1a vaccine priority group registered through the AllVax portal. More than 373,000 residents have registered on the system so far.

The number of weekly appointments available for members of Phase 1b — seniors and front-line essential workers — has increased by thousands, according to the department.

“As more doses of vaccine become available to us, our coalition of partners stands ready to make vaccines available to all of our residents, with the capacity already in place to vaccinate tens of thousands each week," Pfister said.

Overall, more than 175,000 doses have been administered to Lake County residents of all ages, with 58 percent of them going to people aged 16 to 64.

As of Thursday, 8.3 percent of the county's population had been fully vaccinated, with an average of more than 5,500 doses administered per day over the past week, according to IDPH data.

Statewide, 10.25 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, with the seven-day rolling average rate of vaccine administration reaching 100,000 doses a day for the first time.

Lake County joins nearly 70 of Illinois' 102 counties that have administered doses to more than half of their residents over age 65, according to IDPH data.

The state is led by Peoria County, where more than 87.5 percent of seniors have gotten at least one dose, as of Thursday. Champaign County follows with 72.7 percent of seniors, followed by Kendall County with 75.8 percent, the most in northern Illinois.

Of the collar counties, DuPage is on top with more than 58 percent of seniors having been jabbed. Less than half of seniors in Cook and Will counties had yet received a dose.