The state's official doctor says Illinois is recommending all adults get COVID-19 vaccines this year, in a move that he says is designed to clear up confusion about the virus, and how to keep it from spreading.
Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said the guidance issued yesterday is a response to requests from pharmacies, doctors and other health care providers for more direction about who could get a COVID-19 vaccine.
This follows the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision to stop short of a blanket recommendation for all adults, instead saying adults should be able to get a vaccine if they're advised about the potential risks and benefits.
"This stuff is inherently complicated," Dr. Vohra told WBBM Newsradio. "Both the way the process was happening at the CDC and then the sort of lack of any recommendations ... that causes confusion and uncertainty."
Dr. Vohra says the state is currently at a very low risk of transmission for the virus, and he says the new recommendations are designed to keep it that way as people move inside.
"Those are the kinds of things we want to get in front of," said Dr. Vohra, noting Illinois' seasonal respiratory illness dashboard shows 0.07% of the state's hospital admissions are COVID-19 related, compared with a yearly high of 3.4% in January.