Because vaccine availability is expected to be limited until the spring, most states are expected to follow guidelines adopted by the CDC this week that say health care workers and nursing home patients should be first in line.
The Illinois plan gives highest priority to health care workers but also calls for first responders to be in the first group to get the shot.
Keeping health care workers on their feet is considered vital to dealing with the crisis.And nursing home patients got priority because they are highly vulnerable to the virus.
Patients and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care centers account for 39% of the nation’s COVID-19 deaths.
The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living sent a letter Tuesday to the National Governors Association urging states to include nursing homes and similar institutions in the first round, noting that more than 100,000 residents have died from COVID-19.