Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city won't open the vaccine to everyone 16 and older along with the rest of the state in two weeks because of a "quantum leap" in COVID cases, according to ABC News.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that anyone 16 and older could get the vaccine starting April 12following many other states in expanding vaccine eligibility.
On April 1, Chicago reported a seven-day rolling average of 519 daily COVID-19 infectionsup 41% from the 367 reported a week earlier.
Lightfoot noted that the increase in cases emerged primarily on the North Side of the city in neighborhoods like Old Town, Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Portage Park, especially among 18-to-39-year-olds. She blamed the uptick in infections on younger people resuming life as the weather warms.
Pritzker said he disagrees with Lightfoot's decision, saying at a March 31 press conference, "We should be getting every dose into every arm that we possibly can."