Governor: No explanation from feds regarding fewer vaccine doses

Posted on December 17, 2020
The governor also fielded a question about a Twitter feud between U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday he still does not know why the federal government is shipping out about half the coronavirus vaccine doses that were expected.

“They have not provided us with any information,” Pritzker said during a wide-ranging news conference. “We get to see what the ‘order book’ can look like for us for the coming week, and they haven’t given us any explanation for why those numbers are smaller than they were before.”

The state reported 181 more deaths, a number too high for Pritzker to be pleased about the lack of a post-Thanksgiving surge. The state reported 8,828 new coronavirus cases.

The governor also fielded a question about a Twitter feud between U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Davis says he wrongly received a debit card and a notice that he is eligible for unemployment benefits. IDES suggested Davis do something about the problems when he gets back to Washington. Asked about it Thursday, Pritzker says Davis is someone who snipes but won’t help.

Pritzker also zinged Illinois House and Senate Republicans for being “mute” on solutions for the state’s financial quagmire and again blamed them for the death of his proposed graduated tax amendment in November.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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