Dr. Norem joins us every Monday morning at 7:05 to give us the latest on the coronavirus and COVID-19. 

On the same day that Illinois reported over 7,000 new cases of COVID-19 and more than 100 deaths, the state received its first shipment of coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer.

We ask Dr. Norem some specifics about how the vaccine will and should be administered. The nation's confidence in the new vaccine still isn't where it needs to be in order to be fully effective. As of today, only 50% of Americans have full trust in the vaccine, with another 25% being unsure and the rest stating that they will not get the vaccine. We need vaccination rates to climb closer to 70% before herd immunity can take effect for those who can't, or won't, get vaccinated.

Then there is the concern of making sure everyone gets BOTH stages of the 2 stage vaccine. Dr. Norem talks about how long we can go between stages of the vaccine and it still is effective. Right now, the suggested time between stages is 21 days but Dr. Norem tells us that this is the minimum amount of days between shots, a longer gap between doctor visits will still be effective.

Also a quick reminder from Dr. Norem. Even if you get vaccinated and/or you have already been diagnosed with COVID-19, it is important that you still follow the mitigation efforts like mask-wearing and social distancing until more of the vaccine is distributed and administered throughout the country. You can still be a carrier of the virus, even after vaccinated.

Thanks again to Dr. Norem for joining us to help inform us and our listeners.

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