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Can you start expanding your social circle after receiving the coronavirus vaccine?
Illinois medical experts intervened.
At the same time, the state is expected to expand requirements for who is eligible for vaccinations in Phase 1B of the state’s deployment this week.
Here are the latest COVID headlines from across the state:
Coronavirus in Illinois: 1,246 new cases, 34 additional deaths, nearly 60,000 vaccines
Illinois health officials report 1,246 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, along with 34 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Monday’s new cases bring the state to 1,175,655 cases of the virus since the pandemic began last year. A total of 20,303 deaths have been reported as a result of the virus.
The seven-day positivity rate rose slightly on Monday, with 2.8% of all tests coming back with positive results, according to the IDPH. This is an increase of 2.7% the day before. The positivity rate of the individuals tested remained stable at 3.1%.
In terms of vaccinations, the figures continued to be impacted by bad weather which limited the deliveries of new doses in recent days. A total of 59,748 doses of the vaccine were administered in Illinois on Sunday, with the seven-day moving average now standing at 55,499 doses per day.
A total of 2,256,975 doses of vaccine were dispensed to providers in Illinois, as well as 445,200 doses dispensed to pharmacies as part of a federal inoculation program for staff and residents of long-term care facilities. . Of those 2.7 million doses, 2,211,700 vaccines had been administered in Illinois by midnight, including 282,820 for long-term care facilities.
Phase 1B vaccine eligibility expected to expand this week
Illinois is set to expand the list of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Phase 1B of its deployment, Governor JB Pritzker said on Wednesday.
The state expects to increase eligibility starting Feb. 25, allowing people with “a high-risk medical condition” or co-morbidity to be vaccinated. The list includes people with cancer, diabetes, obesity, pregnant women, and those with several other conditions.
Here is a list of what constitutes a high risk medical condition.
Chicago and Cook County do not expect to join the state in expanding eligibility.
To see where and how to make an appointment in Illinois or where you can receive information about vaccines for your area, click here.
More staff returning to Chicago public school classrooms on Monday
More teachers and staff are expected to return to classrooms as the district prepares to welcome more students again in the coming weeks.
According to the CPC schedule, Kindergarten to Grade 5 teachers were to report to school on Monday, one week before their students returned for in-person learning.
The move was part of an agreement between the district and the Chicago Teachers Union, after weeks of negotiations over a return to classroom teaching and vaccinations for teachers.
Illinois’ top doctor says vaccine availability is high in months
Illinois’ top doctor has promised wide availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to residents of the state, but said it would take months for supply to meet demand.
Comments from Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike in a weekend Chicago Tribune opinion piece come amid complaints of shortages and difficulties obtaining Appointment. The recent explosion in winter weather conditions also delayed shipments, leading to the cancellation of appointments.
“It will be months before our supply comfortably exceeds demand – a hurdle we always expected, and the very reason we spent so much time and thought through the prioritization phases,” Ezike wrote. “Everyone deserves their turn to get their shots, and it’s my promise to Illinois that we’ll get there – as efficiently, quickly, and fairly as possible.”
Lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since pandemic began, says Chicago’s top doctor
Chicago’s coronavirus positivity rate is the lowest since the start of the pandemic, the city’s top doctor said on Friday.
“I am also happy to announce today that we are at 3.5% positivity in the city of Chicago,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “This is the lowest positivity the city of Chicago has seen from COVID since COVID first arrived in Chicago.”
Arwady noted that over the summer, Chicago’s positivity rate fell below 4%, but never to the level recorded by the city on Friday.
Chicago is averaging 323 new cases of COVID-19 per day, Arwady said, down from the more than 3,000 cases per day recorded at the peak of the virus. The city’s daily case count is also below the threshold that marks a “high-risk area,” according to Chicago guidelines.
Can you socialize after you are fully immunized? Expert response
After receiving the coronavirus vaccine, when is it safe to expand your social circles or see loved ones?
According to experts on the NBC 5 “Vaccinated State” panel, the answer is a bit complicated.
“One thing we don’t know about the vaccine is whether or not people will continue to shed the virus if they are infected,” said Dr Richard Novak, head of the Division of Infectious Diseases for UI Health. “The vaccine is very effective in preventing people from getting sick, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been infected. We don’t know you know that yet. And if they do get the infection, we don’t know how much of the virus they’re shedding and coming out of their bodies is reduced. “
According to Novak, the duration of immunity given by the vaccine remains uncertain.
“What we do know is that in fact immunity lasts for at least the three months that we were in the study and that in fact, if you look at the levels of antibodies produced by the vaccines, of first, it’s higher than a natural infection, ”says Novak. “And the antibodies induced by the vaccine are more potent than natural infection, and the trajectory of the declining antibodies is quite slow, so the antibody level is expected to continue to last for at least a year or more. , but we don’t. t, we won’t know until we finish the studies that are still in progress. “
Likewise, grandparents asked when they could see young grandchildren after being vaccinated, noting that children would be less susceptible to serious infections from the virus.
“We don’t want to risk the possibility of quietly, silently and unintentionally transferring the virus to the baby,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. “The baby could pass on to parents and others at home. So we still need to take care when we mix households.
But what if both people have been fully immunized?
The full vaccination is said to come two weeks after a person has received their second dose of the vaccine.
“To be honest with you, I think it’s safe enough for two fully vaccinated people – that means two weeks after their second dose – of fully vaccinated people to expand their circle of friends to include other fully vaccinated people. , and in a moderate way, ”said Dr. Emily Landon, executive medical director of infection control and prevention at the University of Chicago Medicine. “I think that’s probably pretty reasonable. But I think it’s really important, for the most part, to keep wearing our masks.”
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