Illinois reported on Thursday the first case of the South African variant COVID-19, health officials announced.
Meanwhile, more than 300 new COVID-19 vaccination sites have opened across the country in the last day, as hundreds of other Walgreens stores across the country and some CVS locations now administer vaccinations.
Here are the latest COVID-19 titles from across the country:
Illinois plans to expand vaccine eligibility in Phase 1B, but will there be enough supply?
Illinois is set to expand the list of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Phase 1B of its launch, but as the state struggles to vaccinate those already eligible under the current plan, how will it work?
Governor JB Pritzker said supply was steadily rising, but expressed optimism that another vaccine was nearing approval.
“This is something you know in addition to the doses we receive, which are increasing every week, we also see on February 26 that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is going to appear before the FDA and there is a lot of optimism that they will get the emergency use permit and therefore we will be able to start getting these added vaccines on Pfizer and Moderna, “Pritzker said.” The last thing is that the federal government has announced in the last 48 hours that new vaccines will be delivered. In addition to those who come to the states, they actually go directly to the FQHCs [Federally Qualified Health Centers]and two pharmacies in Illinois. You heard yesterday that Walgreens will receive an extra large amount of vaccine and this amount will increase, being very useful for all of us. “
Read more here.
For a full look at where you can make an appointment in Illinois or where you can get information about vaccines for your area, click here.
Illinois reports 2,598 new coronavirus cases, 32 deaths, “registered” 95K vaccines
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,598 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, with an additional 32 deaths attributed to the virus and a “record 95,000 doses of vaccine given” the day before.
According to the latest IDPH data, new and probable cases of coronavirus bring the state total to 1,158,431 since the pandemic began. Additional deaths bring the state to 19,873 during the pandemic.
In the last 24 hours, state laboratories reported 103,009 new samples for testing. The seven-day state positivity rate for all COVID tests decreased to 3.1%, and the positivity rate for individuals decreased to 3.7%.
There have been 1,915 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Illinois since Thursday night, with 437 of these patients in intensive care units and 211 patients with ventilators.
According to IDPH data, a total of 1,940,425 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were delivered to Illinois and Chicago providers, with another 445,200 doses allocated to the federal government’s program to help long-term care facilities in vaccinating staff and patients. . This brings the total number of doses sent to Illinois to 2,385,625.
On Thursday, 95,375 doses were administered, according to IDPH, which noted the number as a “record high.” The state administered 1,644,483 total doses of vaccine, including 231,814 to long-term care units.
Pritzker will visit the Cook County vaccination site
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to visit a COVID-19 vaccination site in Cook County on Friday.
Pritzker is scheduled to join local officials at 12 p.m. to visit the Federal Qualified Health Center vaccination center at Aunt Martha’s Chicago Heights Community Health Center, located at 1536 Vincennes Avenue in Chicago Heights, according to his public schedule.
The event can be watched live in the video player above.
Illinois reports the first case of COVID-19 in South Africa
Illinois reported on Thursday the first case of the South African variant COVID-19, health officials announced.
The Illinois Department of Public Health said the first case of the B.1.351 coronavirus variant, first identified in South Africa, was found in the state. The confirmed variant was located in a Rock Island resident, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
“We expected to see more cases of variants detected in Illinois, including strain B.1.351,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “These variants seem to spread faster, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19 and even another wave. The best way to defeat this virus as soon as possible is to wear masks and get vaccinated when it’s our turn. ”
In the US, cases of B.1,351 were first reported in late January, health officials said. Studies suggest that antibodies produced by current COVID-19 vaccines recognize the variant, and offer “some protection.”
“IDPH will continue to work with local health departments, academic partners, laboratories and the CDC to monitor cases. IDPH has stepped up its surveillance for this and other variants, using genomic sequence testing on an increased number of specimens,” he said. says in a statement.
Read more here.
Coronavirus in Illinois: 2,838 new cases, 102 deaths, 69,000 vaccinations reported Thursday
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported more than 2,800 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, with 102 additional deaths attributed to the virus and more than 69,000 doses of vaccine given the day before.
According to the latest IDPH data, 2,838 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. These new cases bring the state total to 1,155,833 since the pandemic began.
Health officials noted that about 80 cases previously reported in McLean County were eliminated in total due to positive fakes. IDPH said officials are currently examining the situation.
The 102 additional deaths bring the state to 19,841 deaths during the pandemic.
In the last 24 hours, state laboratories reported 96,525 new samples for testing. The seven-day positive state rate for all COVID tests remained at 3.3%, the same as the previous day, while the positivity rate of individuals decreased to 3.9%.
There are currently 1,954 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Illinois, with 448 of these patients in intensive care units and 227 patients currently with ventilators.
According to IDPH data, a total of 1,929,850 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were delivered to Illinois and Chicago providers, with another 456,100 doses allocated to the federal government program to help long-term care facilities in vaccinating staff and patients. . This brings the total number of doses sent to Illinois to 2,385,950.
69,029 doses were administered on Wednesday, IDPH said, noting that the state administered 1,549,108 total doses of the vaccine, including 226,974 to long-term care units.
Check how COVID vaccination data in your county compares to your state
As Illinois nears the end of its second week of Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccinations, health officials have administered more than 1.5 million doses. Check out the chart below to see how county and state vaccinations compare.
Illinois vaccinations
More than 300 new COVID vaccination sites are opening in Illinois
Illinois added more than 300 new COVID-19 vaccination sites in the last day, health officials said Thursday, with hundreds of other Walgreens stores across the country and some CVS locations now administering the vaccinations.
Another 339 Walgreens locations in Illinois were opened as vaccination sites Wednesday, state officials said, as well as four CVS locations.
This brings the total number of vaccination sites in the state to 860.
Here you can find a list of all vaccination sites in Illinois.
Chicago and Cook County Will Not Join Illinois in Extending Phase 1B COVID Vaccine Eligibility
Chicago and Cook County will not join the state of Illinois to expand who is eligible for stage 1B coronavirus vaccinations later this month, officials said Thursday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Council President announced the decision in a joint statement, saying the city and county are not receiving enough doses of vaccine to allow them to extend eligibility with the rest of the state in a decision, Governor JB Pritzker. announced the day before.
“Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible and as effectively as possible. That being said, our biggest challenge in this regard is the very limited supply of vaccine we receive. As we progress every day in vaccinating people in 1a and 1b, we are currently not provided with sufficient doses to allow us to extend eligibility in these phases, “the statement said.
“Doing so in Chicago and Cook County would add an additional 1 million people to 1b, and the result would be that those currently eligible, including the elderly, key front workers and those in our communities most burdened by COVID, it would have an equal level, it’s harder to get a vaccine “, continued Lightfoot and Preckwinkle.
“These phases were established after a careful study and analysis and are based on the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We recognize that the governor must make tough choices and consider the needs of this diverse state, but given the limited supply of vaccine, he must also make tough choices as leaders in the most populous cities and counties in the state. We look forward to expanding eligibility as vaccine supply improves. “
Read more here.