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As some areas of Illinois begin to report coronavirus data below state mitigation requirements, some are wondering if restrictions could be relaxed in their areas ahead of the holidays.
According to Governor JB Pritzker, the answer is probably no.
“As you know, a few weeks ago, out of concern that we would have a push here, we essentially gave up removing regions from level 3, in the hope that we could bring the numbers down considerably. state to state, ”Pritzker said Thursday. “They’re coming down, not in great numbers, but they’re going in the right direction. And we’re hopeful things will continue in the right direction. But like Dr. Ezike says, you know, when you are we still talk about over 8,000 cases, for example, in a day, that means, as you mentioned earlier, that as you project forward a number of people will still die as a percentage of And so deeply concerned that we’re cutting the numbers down to a level where, you know, we’re seeing much better numbers, even our positivity rates, although they’ve gone down, still aren’t close to 5. % recommended by WHO. ”
The toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois has passed the grim milestone of more than 15,000 lives lost on Friday as the state reported 181 more deaths and 7,377 new 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 death toll to 15,015 statewide.
The seven-day mobile positivity rate on all tests performed during this period is currently 8.0%, a decrease from the previous day, while the positivity rate for residents tested for the virus is 9.7 %, according to officials.
Hospitalizations related to the virus fell again to 4,690, with 1,023 of those patients in intensive care beds and 589 on ventilators, health officials said.
Pritzker said on Friday that while the numbers “appear to be heading in the right direction” state officials are “concerned that the numbers are not coming down as precipitously as we would have liked to see now.”
He noted that potential holiday gatherings remain a concern statewide.
“They should know that we are following the science. Like I said, when I spoke about it a few weeks ago, not just Dr. Fauci, but the whole, you know, a multitude of doctors that we let’s count on their good advice. as we move forward with this new coronavirus, we say we need to be deeply concerned about the gatherings people may have around the holidays, ”Pritzker said. “And that’s why we made the decisions that we made.”
Pritzker acknowledged that such restrictions could be lifted after the holidays, however, if the region does not see a surge and regions stay below the threshold.
“It’s certainly our intention, as we go through this holiday, to start looking, you know, without having a holiday coming up, right after New Years to get to bring the levels down for various of our regions,” a- he declared.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in order for a region to revert to Level 2 mitigation measures, a region must experience a test positivity rate of less than 12% for three consecutive days, as well as a intensive care unit and hospital bed available by more than 20%. availability and decrease in COVID-related hospitalizations in seven of the last ten days.
Many have expressed optimism about the start of coronavirus vaccinations in Illinois, including Pritzker, who said earlier this week that the vaccinations marked “the start of a process that allows us to move forward towards full reopening of State”.
But how long this process will take remains uncertain.
“The length of time, you know, while you’re talking to the experts, what they would say is that the manufacturing process will take some time so they can deliver them as fast as possible,” Pritzker said. “But months will pass here as we work on the ACIP / CDC guidelines, first for health workers and those in long-term care facilities and then for the many others who are in different phases. … until we get collective immunity. we’re all targeting the state of Illinois and the United States of America. ”
The first vaccinations against the coronavirus were administered Tuesday in Illinois, first in Chicago, then in 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 thrilled that we’re at the start of the end,” Ezike said.
She noted, however, that the first vaccines are only the beginning.
“It is very important that everyone understands that you need both vaccines,” she said, referring to the booster dose people will need to receive in the weeks after their first vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two injections given three weeks apart.
“It’s an important step but there is still another step,” she added. “I hope everyone watching this is convinced that this is a vaccine you should take as well.”
In Chicago, the first doses were given to health workers at Loretto Hospital a few minutes earlier.
Dubbing the day “Vaccine Day,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “We have finally and finally officially taken our first steps on our long road to COVID vaccination.
Chicago’s top health official said the first vaccinations marked “the start of what will be the end of COVID-19” in the city, but warned the public that it will still take some time before the end of the pandemic.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr Allison Arwady said she believed it would likely take about a year before the coronavirus was “in the rearview mirror.”
“We’ve been there for almost a year already and I think we’ll probably be there another year by the time we really get to the point where it’s in the rearview mirror,” she said. “But it is in our power to keep this virus under control. You know the things that work – keep doing them.”
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