UPDATED: Many Downstate Counties Have Plenty of Vaccine but Not Enough People Who Want It
COVID-19 vaccines are administered by Jewel-Osco pharmacists to union workers at the IUOE Local 399 union hall in Chicago on April 6. (Photo: Block Club)
As state and Chicago area officials addressed hesitancy among parts of the population to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the discussion focused on African American and Hispanic communities.
Turns out, they should have been looking south.
The state has begun redirecting some of the COVID-19 vaccine allocated for many downstate communities to the suburbs and city of Chicago. The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed to The Illinoize Monday the state had reallocated some 15,000 first shot doses of the Moderna vaccine to Chicago immediately and another 35,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine were in process.
IDPH statistics show more than 60 of the state’s 97 public health departments, almost exclusively downstate, were slated to receive no new vaccine supply this week. It led us to ask “is it a supply issue, or a demand issue?”
“Both,” said IDPH spokesperson Melaney Arnold.
UPDATE (10:10 A.M.):
Jackson County Public Health Department Administrator Bart Hagston says demand has dropped off considerably, but not at for completely negative reasons.
“Over the past two weeks we saw between 70-95% of our vaccination slots go unfilled on a daily basis. This lack of demand was despite opening up to all Illinoisans 16 and older, opening up to walk-ins each day, and continued efforts to promote vaccination and our two mass vaccination sites,” he said. “Part of the problem we are encountering with demand simply reflects that we are further along the vaccination timeline than most areas of the state.”
Jackson County has around 30% of its population fully vaccinated.
“Rock Island County is starting to see appointment vacancies which we have not seen until now. We continue to promote anyone 16 and over get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Administrator Nita Ludwig.
24% of Rock Island County is fully vaccinated.
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“It seems that the supply now exceeds the demand locally in Effingham and Clay counties and in several other rural counties,” said Jeff Workman, the Administrator of the Clay and Effingham County Health Departments.
The state reports around 22% of 34,000 Effingham County residents are fully vaccinated. Clay County also reports 22% vaccinated of approximately 13,000 residents.
“I'm not sure why the hesitancy,” Workman said. “I think some decided against the [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine when the church spoke up against it. I think some may be from recent publicity surrounding adverse reactions. I think some may be people discounting the seriousness of COVID-19. Finally, i think some is related to a distrust of government and big pharmaceutical companies.”
Combating health care skepticism is nothing new in some places downstate.
Vermilion County Public Health Administrator Doug Toole says his county has long struggled with heeding the advice of the medical community.
He said Vermilion County, which includes Danville, tends to be at the bottom of rankings for overall health and often struggles convincing people to get their yearly flu shot.
“No one can say they’re not getting vaccinated because it’s not available to them,” Toole said. As of Monday, 19.9% of Vermilion County’s population of around 77,000 is fully vaccinated.
Toole says it’s possible politics plays into some of the population’s resistance, but it isn’t the main driver.
“This isn’t a population that gets vaccinated for the flu,” Toole said. “Vaccinating kids for school takes more work than it should. A lot of stuff that’s often preventable or manageable, we often struggle with. This isn’t something new that’s popped up in the last year.”
Numerous large downstate counties, including Rock Island, Sangamon, Macon, Madison, St. Clair, and Jackson, are receiving no new vaccine this week.
Meanwhile, doctors are continuing to beat the drum to encourage everyone to get the vaccine.
“This is not the time to play roulette with your body,” said Dr. Edward Lynn, who recently retired from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “This could be very serious.”
While hospitals, providers, pharmacies, and even the state have been trying to get the word out, nobody seems to know what the answer is to get skeptics, especially downstate, to get vaccinated.
“I'm not sure what the answer is,” said Workman.