The state and the city of Chicago are seeking to boost the waning number of people getting coronavirus vaccinations by partnering with landlords to make shots available at major commercial buildings downtown and around Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday.

The expanded vaccination effort comes as the state prepares to ease capacity limits Friday at office buildings and a wide range of businesses under the final phase of Pritzker’s reopening plan before all restrictions are lifted, a move that could be just a month away if current trends hold.

State health officials on Monday reported the lowest statewide COVID-19 positivity rate in more than a month, and with new cases and hospitalizations steadily declining, Pritzker said last week that the state could fully reopen as soon as June 11.

A key to that happening will be getting more people vaccinated, an effort that could get a boost later this week if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follows the Food and Drug Administration’s lead and gives the OK for 12- to 15-year-olds to receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine.

While that would create a new source of demand for shots, state and city officials are focused on working to make it easier for adults who already are eligible to get vaccinated.

“Illinois, like the nation as a whole, has reached a point where, by and large, all the people who were immediately eager to get vaccinated have already been vaccinated,” Pritzker said Monday during a news conference at the Harris Bank Building in the Loop. “That means instead of facing a shortage, requiring us to conserve every drop of vaccine and demanding patience from everyone who wants to get vaccinated, we now have vaccine available to anyone who wants a shot, whenever they want one.”

In the coming days, that will include vaccination clinics inside landmark Chicago commercial buildings such as the Wrigley Building and Merchandise Mart, along with eight other sites in Chicago, Schaumburg and Rockford, Pritzker said. Building owners can register with the state to bring vaccination clinics to their facilities.

“We will get you the staff, supplies and the vaccine to make it happen,” Pritzker said.

The clinics will use one of the two-dose vaccines, and specific times and locations will be announced in advance, with a focus on making shots available during shift changes. Appointments will be taken, but walk-ins will be welcome.

Lightfoot said vaccination events like those unveiled Monday are essential for “finally putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.”

“Now that we have a vaccine that is proven to be safe and effective, more and more employers are beginning to plan out or have even begun to welcome employees back to the office,” she said.

The mayor also reiterated her view that this summer will more closely resemble 2019 than the pandemic-shuttered 2020.

The push for vaccinations at commercial buildings follows an earlier announcement that the Illinois Department of Public Health is working with community groups to set up vaccination clinics and that vaccine doses would be distributed to doctor’s offices.

“We are focused on taking vaccine to people instead of people needing to come and meet the vaccine,” Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.

Those efforts may be beginning to pay off as the pace of vaccinations, which had slowed significantly, appears to be picking up a bit.

Over the last seven days, an average of 81,265 doses were administered daily statewide, up from last week’s low of 65,750 per day.

So far, the seven-day average number of daily vaccinations has peaked at 132,979 during the week ending April 12 — the day all residents 16 and older outside Chicago became eligible.

An additional 70,426 coronavirus vaccine doses were administered in Illinois on Sunday, bringing the total to 9,978,915, officials said. As of Monday, 56.85% of those 16 and older have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

As of Sunday, the statewide case positivity rate — the percentage of cases as a share of total tests — reached a seven-day average of 2.8%, the lowest level since the same rate was reported the week ending March 25.

After the massive fall and winter surge, the positivity rate dropped as low as 2.1% in mid-March before increasing to 4.4% by mid-April.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus also is on the decline.

As of Sunday night, 1,906 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 473 patients in intensive care units and 242 patients on ventilators. The seven-day average of hospitalizations was 1,984, the lowest since an average of 1,981 was reported April 15.

The state is continuing to report daily COVID-19 deaths are increasing over the last 28 days, but officials said the rise is “not significant.” Officials reported 12 additional fatalities Monday, bringing the statewide death toll to 22,235.

The seven-day average of daily deaths was 27 on Monday, falling slightly from last week’s high of 30. The average had dipped as low as 18 deaths per day in early April before climbing again amid the recent surge.

Officials also reported 1,424 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, bringing the average number of daily cases over the past week to 2,088. The spring wave crested at 3,390 daily cases during the week ending April 13.

The total number of known infections in Illinois since the start of the pandemic reached 1,356,391.

The state on Sunday reported two additional cases of the coronavirus variant that was first seen in the United Kingdom for a total of 3,170.

Officials previously reported a total of 1,097 cases of the variant first seen in Brazil, 428 cases of the variant first seen in California and 56 cases of the variant first seen in South Africa.

dpetrella@chicagotribune.com

jwhidden@chicagotribune.com

gpratt@chicagotribune.com