The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 21.7 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and that about 4.3 million people have been fully vaccinated.
The federal government said Thursday that it had delivered about 48.4 million doses to states, territories and federal agencies. The shipments, which came after a record-setting race to develop, study and approve a vaccine, have marked a turning point in the pandemic at a time when deaths and cases continue to set records.
But federal health officials acknowledged that the vaccine rollout had had a slower-than-expected start and said they did not have a clear understanding as to why only a portion of the doses shipped across the nation had made it into arms.
A New York Times report showed that Illinois ranks 47th out of the 50 states when it comes to vaccine roll-out. State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) said while Illinois has been one of the most restrictive states in the country when it comes to COVID19, the distribution so far has been a complete collapse.