As some areas of Illinois begin to report coronavirus data under state mitigation requirements, some are wondering if restrictions could be eased in their regions before the holidays.
According to Governor JB Pritzker, the answer is probably no.
“As you know, a few weeks ago, out of concern for the idea that we will have growth here, we basically took a step back from removing the Level 3 regions, in the hope that we could significantly reduce the numbers across the country.” Pritzker said Thursday. “It’s coming down, not by a huge number, but I’m going in the right direction. And we’re really hoping things will continue in the right direction. But, as Dr. Ezike said, you know, when you’re still talking about over 8,000 cases, for example, in a day, that means, as you mentioned earlier, that as you project further, that a lot of people will still pass as a percentage of this. that we are reducing the numbers to a level where, you know, we see a much better number, even our positivity rates, although they have fallen, are still not close to the 5% recommended by the WHO. ”
The death toll from the Illinois coronavirus pandemic has surpassed the severe milestone of more than 15,000 lives lost on Friday, as the state reported an additional 181 deaths and 7,377 confirmed and probable cases.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Friday’s figures bring the total number of virus cases to 886,805 and the number of deaths to 15,015 statewide.
The seven-day positive rate for all tests performed during this period is currently 8.0%, down from the previous day, while the positivity rate for residents tested for the virus is 9.7%, officials say.
Hospitalizations related to the virus fell again to 4,690, with 1,023 of these patients occupying ICU beds and 589 on ventilators, according to health officials.
Pritzker said Friday that while the figures “seem to be heading in the right direction,” state officials are “concerned, the numbers have not dropped as hastily as we would have liked to see so far.”
He noted that potential holiday meetings remain a statewide concern.
“He should know that we are pursuing science. As I said, when we talked about this a few weeks ago, not just Dr. Fauci, but the entire raft of doctors we rely on for their good advice as we move forward with this novel, the coronavirus says we need to be deeply concerned about the gatherings that people can have around the holidays, “Pritzker said.” And that’s why I made the decisions that I made. “
Pritzker acknowledged that such restrictions could be lifted after the holidays, however, if the area does not grow and the regions remain below the threshold.
“It is certainly our intention, as we go through these holidays, to start looking, you know, without having holidays before, immediately after the New Year, to reach the reduction of levels for our different regions,” he said. .
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, for a region to return to level 2 mitigation, a region must experience less than a 12% test positive rate for three consecutive days, along with more than 20% test units. intensive care and hospital bed available availability and decrease in COVID hospitalizations in seven of the last 10 days.
Many expressed optimism about the start of coronavirus vaccinations in Illinois, including Pritzker, who said earlier this week that vaccinations mark “the beginning of a process that allows us to move toward a complete reopening of the state.”
But how long this process will take remains unclear.
“The length of time, you know, as you talk to the experts, which would say that the manufacturing process will take some time, so you can deliver to them as quickly as you can,” Pritzker said. “But they will spend months here, as we work through the ACIP / CDC guidelines first for health workers and long-term care workers and then for many others who are in different stages … until we get the herd’s immunity. We’re all targeting Illinois and the United States. ”
The first coronavirus vaccinations were administered Tuesday in Illinois, first in Chicago, then at a hospital in Peoria.
Pritzker and the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, were present to observe the vaccinations in Peoria, calling it “a very important day.”
“Everyone has reason to be happy that we are at the beginning of the end,” Ezike said.
She noted, however, that the first vaccines are just the beginning.
“It’s very important for everyone to understand that you need both vaccines,” she said, referring to the booster dose people should receive in the weeks after their first shot.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two photos taken three weeks apart.
“It is an important step, but there is another step,” she added. “I hope that all people who are looking for this will have confidence that this is a vaccine that you should get.”
In Chicago, the first doses were given to health workers at Loretto Hospital a few minutes earlier.
Doubling Vaccine Day, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “Finally, and finally, we have officially taken the first steps on our path to COVID vaccination.”
The chief health official in Chicago said the first vaccinations marked “the beginning of what will be the end of COVID-19” in the city, but warned the public that it will be a long time before the pandemic ends.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said he thought it would probably be about a year before the coronavirus was “in the rearview mirror.”
“We’ve been at this for almost a year now and I think we’ll probably be at it for another year until we really get to the point where it’s in the rearview mirror,” she said. “But it’s up to us to keep this virus under control. You know the things that work – please keep doing it.”