Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign) | Photo Courtesy of SenChapinRose.com
Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Champaign) | Photo Courtesy of SenChapinRose.com
Illinois Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Ill.) is critical of the bungled distribution of vaccine doses in the state after reports of university faculty being vaccinated before they were eligible under the state's guidelines were released.
The Chicago Tribune reported in March that roughly 1,500 higher education employees who were not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine were vaccinated at University of Illinois in early February.
At that time, only teachers at the primary and high school levels were eligible under Phase 1B.
“I raised this over a month ago: pointing out that ineligible, otherwise healthy young people were getting vaccinated when seniors and the disabled couldn’t find a shot anywhere,” Rose posted on Facebook on March 7.
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Deputy Administrator and Epidemiologist Awais Vaid told the Tribune that the vaccines were distributed because of a miscommunication over eligibility.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 1.6 million residents in the state, or 12% of the population, have been fully vaccinated. The IDPH has administered 4.3 million doses as of March 19.
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