SPRINGFIELD, Ill — As Illinois is battles a resurgence of the coronavirus, the governor is laying groundwork for distributing a vaccine when it becomes available.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that vaccines will first go to health care workers battling the virus, long-term care residents and other vulnerable populations. But beyond that, he says the plan will take shape around what the federal government approves.
"Our framework in Illinois is designed to provide an equitable distribution across the state with priority access going to our most vulnerable populations. That includes, for example, frontline health care workers and first responders who directly interact with and treat covered patients, as well as staff and residents in long term care facilities," Gov. Pritzker said during a press conference.
Officials say a vaccine could be available by year's end at the earliest. Illinois reported 69 new deaths from the virus on Wednesday and 4,352 new infections.
"Let me be clear. Illinois will not distribute a vaccine until we have one that is proven safe and effective. We have a highly qualified team of experts from the private and public sectors teamed up to evaluate the public data and process when the vaccine data is made available over the coming weeks or months," Gov. Pritzker added.
