Michigan announced today that they are making all ages eligible for vaccine, i think effectibe April 1st, IIRC.

I heard a comment on CNN yesterday that while the official number in the U.S. is 29 Million cases , in reality we have probably had around 85 million cases, including unreported asymptomatic cases. Add that to the 10% thats been fully vaccinated.

Stephen, I work in Hunterdon County--where they are getting a few hundred doses a day.....I checked.

What occurs to me this morning is a quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, "Amateurs talk tactics, Professionals talk logistics".

What it looks like is that things like "operation warp speed" was and is a TACTICAL action. Creating a situation where the vaccines could be developed rapidly and efficiently is a tactical situation--and we did it well. However, the creation of a logistical chain that creates something like 500 million vaccine doses and ends with everyone with a card that states they have been fully vaccinated--a card that will make it possible for the bearer to get on an airplane or a train or a ship and go anywhere without hassle--failed miserably.

Where were the experts in logistics, at all levels? To quote a co-worker of mine from some years ago when faced with senior management saying "we hope it works this way" responded, "hope is not a plan".

It seems as if officialdom HOPED it would all work out efficiently and smoothly. Without a plan.

Tudpock and Halbert - Let me combine bits of both of your posts. I would say that in some states, halbert is entirely too correct. My home state of Illinois being in that unfortunate group. In other states, such as Florida, things appear to be going very well. In that dichotomy lies my frustration. If we, as a country, succeeded in tactics, we failed in logistics. Where is the consistency? Why did we allow states to "do it their way" when it became apparent that some ways worked markedly better than others? Why did not the Federal Government at least issue guidelines with a workable plan for states to tweak to meet their own needs?

It further infuriates me that in some state (think Illinois) they allowed each county and city to make up their own rules and devise their own distribution plans -- all to be done by politicians who had their own agendas. Agendas that favored some segments of the population over others, to the near-total exclusion of certain groups.

Anyway, trying to keep it civil, so I will end my rant there - especially since my wife is fully vaccinated and I finally received my first dose and have the second scheduled.

As far as it goes for those choosing not to be vaccinated, I'm of two opinions. For those who are just anti-vaccines of any sort, on religious, moral or other grounds -- that's your choice. I'll disagree with you, but you can do as you choose and I won't try to change your mind. For those who just say "I'm not getting vaccinated because I think their needs to be more science on that" (actual quote of an acquaintance) I say "What makes you think you know better than all the doctors in the world? You're nuts."

Paxton, it was said many years ago (when Daley Sr. was still alive) that Chicago ain't ready for reform. Still seems to be true.

One thought I've had--since I did live downstate for a lot of years--is you've gone on at length about the city/county run sites in Chicago being focused on the south side. No debate. I wonder though, if you add up ALL sites--both city/county run and commercial such as drug stores, hospitals, walk in clinics etc....is there more balance south vs north? I ask not knowing how they are handling it there as far a pharmacies, etc. I have seen a number of old friends on facebook in Effingham and Jasper counties downstate where they are in pretty good shape as far as distribution goes.

Guys,
The stats for Illinois as a state look deceivingly good. This is because the stats depict a large population, even when seen by county. Where the disparity exists (IMHO) is within those geographical areas. Within Cook County, for example, there are perhaps a dozen state or county operated vaccination centers. Until this past week, 11 of the 12 were in the south and southwest/west areas. There is now a second center in the near northwestern suburbs. If you look at the population distribution, compared to the distribution of vaccination sites, there is just no correlation. The population groups living in the south and southwest areas are heavily favored. These groups also happen to be the same groups that voted in great numbers for the incumbent mayor of Chicago. Those of us who didn't vote for her live in primarily the north and northwest areas, and we have very few opportunities for vaccinations.

They tell us "The government had to provide vaccination centers for these populations because they need vaccines. You can go out to the retail market for yours." The problem here is that they also control the distribution of vaccines between the centers and the retail pharmacies/grocery chains/private clinics. These stores and clinics tell us that they are simply not getting anywhere near enough vaccine doses. The vaccines are going to those vaccination centers in those south and southwest side areas. Even the hospital system where all my docs work cannot get enough vaccine to even begin vaccinating patients. . . except in those south and southwest areas. I also won't even begin to write about whether it is safe for many of us to go to those south and southwest areas if we wanted to be vaccinated there. Remember, Chicago has had over 800 carjackings IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY ALONE. Most of them happen in those same south and southwest areas. (800 in two months boils down to about 50 per week!)

In addition to this disparity, there have been recent changes to the groups of people allowed to book appointments at the United Center location, which is on the near-west side of Chicago. It is a FEMA operated center, but is now restricted to only city of Chicago residents, no suburbanites allowed, AND the city has just changed even that restriction to limit the center to citizens of a select list of Zip codes, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PERSON QUALIFIES TO BE VACCINATED UNDER STATE GUIDELINES. In other words, if you live in the mayor's chosen few zip codes, you are allowed a vaccination even if you are not qualified at the federal, state, or county level. (e.g. If you are a perfectly healthy 35 year-old, but you live in one of "those" zip codes, come on in.) Just because you live in an area where she wants more people to be vaccinated. The unfortunate thing here, in addition to the unfairness of selection, is that those zip codes are the ones where there is the strongest resistance to accepting the vaccine. So, she is trying to reserve vaccine doses for people who don't really want them -- while people on the other side of town are crying for a chance to be vaccinated.

It isn't so much that the administrations are bumbling idiots. I think not. I think that they are calculating rascals who know exactly what they are doing and don't care about its apparent unfairness, as long as those groups who voted for them are favored. This is nothing new in Chicago OR in Illinois. (I could name the previous top offending administration in Chicago, but that would move this whole discussion into an area not appropriate for this forum.)

IMHO, there is no such thing as an honest politician. The difference I see between the present administration and that of the Daley Dynasty is that the Daly men took a little bit (each) from a lot of people. The present administration is trying to take a LOT from one group and give it to another. Trying to single-handedly become Robin Hood to her constituents.

So, is it STILL bad? Not as bad as it was. It is still as bad if you live in the wrong part of the wrong county. Most of the state has made great strides. Not in the north/northwest part of Chicago, where it remains a vaccine desert. That's our punishment for not voting for the incumbent mayor. I hope people remember this at the next mayoral election cycle. (Who was it that said "The people deserve the government that they elect."?

Now, I've finished buttoning my flame suit. If I have offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. I am merely an old(er) man, venting his frustration with a system he cannot control.

Paxton, sounds like Chicago still ain't ready for reform. Business as usual. Doesn't make it right.

In Tucson, they start offering the shots tommorow for 55 and up. I went to the website and there were some drive-thru slots available. Then they disappeared right before my eyes. Lol! Not quick enough. Oddly, they are not showing anything open beyond tommorow. I could drive about 100 miles to get the shot elsewhere, but I'm not doing that.

I'm convinced that the Chicago area, as well as the rest of Illinois, will eventually be covered and all those who wish to be vaccinated will be able to do so. It will just take a lot longer time than the politicians would lead us to believe. It IS improving, but at a glacier-like pace.

Many of the suburbs and counties outside the Chicago area are doing well. The city and Cook County just think they are doing better than folks in my part of town would say they are.

My wife is vaccinated (J&J one-shot) and I have gotten my first dose of Pfizer. How the rest of the city and county fare is now only something I watch on the news. All of my family lives outside the Chicago area, so they are not affected by the mess up here.

I will now return to my normal Zen-like state of calm.

Scheduled for shot 1 on Saturday. Yay!

Stephen,

In Bucks Cty PA.

Just in the past few days I have received text messages from a few of the many city, county, state and private entities where I had signed up for a chance to book a Covid vaccination. (Remember, though, that I found one on my own and have already had dose #1, so this is all academic to me.) It is great that my number has come up finally (I'm in group 1b, based on age alone), BUT still all of the locations that show as having appointments available would have me driving an hour or more, into parts of the metro area where I do not feel safe. Some things never change. Those are the areas that seem to have vaccine available, as there have been many there who decline vaccination.

This does tell me, though, that they are making progress toward making the vaccine available more widely. It is just that they still refuse to allow more equitable geographic distribution. Oh, yeah, there have been stories on the evening news that people in those south and southwest side areas are complaining that north siders are coming to their neighborhood to be vaccinated. They don't want it, but we shouldn't take it? Really? North siders only go there because the city refuses to distribute adequate vaccine to north side distribution points.

So, progress? Yes. Frustrating still? Yes again.

I'll probably stop paying any heed to it all once I've received my second dose. . . until next year when everyone needs boosters. I sure hope somebody learns by then a way to make distribution work like the seasonal flu vaccine, where all the docs and clinics and drug stores can dispense the vaccine without having to spend weeks playing the lottery to win an appointment.

And I will try not to even comment about the governor's plan to authorize all state residents to book vaccine appointments before they have vaccinated the majority of those now eligible. All that would do is to prolong the Hunger Games atmosphere that exists now when trying to nab that elusive appointment.

Yes, we do deserve whatever government we elect. . .