Updated 2/9/2021 7:26 AM
The first real permanent snowfall of the season caught some people off guard and created shoveling and driving problems but also provided opportunities for sledding fun in the suburbs in The Week in Pictures photo gallery for January 23-29, 2021.
Two men cross the street after heavy snow fall Tuesday, January 26, 2021 in West Chicago.
Brian Hill | Staff Photographer
A large number of people sledding dot the side of the hill after heavy snow fall at Randall Oaks Park Tuesday January 26, 2021 in West Dundee.
John Starks | Staff Photographer
Illinois health officials reported 3,751 new COVID-19 cases and 81 deaths Wednesday as Governor JB Pritzker spoke at the opening of a mass vaccination site at the Lake County Fairgrounds.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the state is receiving $43 million from FEMA for vaccine distribution
Thursday afternoon, Governor JB Pritzker visited a vaccination site at Morton East High School in Cicero. He announced that Illinois would be receiving $43 million from FEMA for vaccine distribution.
The Illinois National Guard is administering vaccines at that site, and Pritzker said he is confident the state is now on good track with more promised doses from the federal government and money from FEMA. The state of Illinois will be receiving $43 million additional to help us with the vaccinations, the governor said.
That money will help local health departments administer vaccines at some of their sites, like those at Morton East and the Lake County Fairgrounds. Only 1.4% of the state s population has received both doses of a vaccine.
Pritzker Pushes Back on Claim That Ill. Ranks Among Bottom of States for COVID Vaccine Distribution
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday pushed back on claims that Illinois ranks near the bottom of all 50 states for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The New York Times tracker of vaccine distribution across the country ranks Illinois 44th of all 50 states for percentage of the population that has received at least the first of two doses of the vaccine, with 4.7% of Illinois residents having received at least their first dose.
The tracker also ranked Illinois at 43rd in the U.S. for percentage of doses used, noting that Illinois has administered 48% of vaccine doses that it has received.