While some regions of Illinois are beginning to report coronavirus data below 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 couple of weeks ago, out of concern for the idea that we would have an increase here, we basically took a step back to remove the Level 3 regions, hoping to be able to significantly reduce the numbers across the board. State, “Pritzker said Thursday. “They go down, not by a huge number, but they’re going in the right direction. And we hope things continue in the right direction. But, as Dr. Ezike said, when he’s still talking about more than eight thousand cases, for example , in a day, this means, as you mentioned earlier, that as you project, a good number of people will still die as a percentage.We are concerned that we are reducing the numbers to a level where, as you know, we are seeing much better figures, even our positivity rates, although they have gone down, are still not close to the 5% recommended by the WHO. ”
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois 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 cases of the virus to 886,805 and the death toll to 15,015 statewide.
The seven-day positivity rate on all tests performed during this period is currently 8.0%, a decrease from the previous day, while the positivity rate of residents tested for the virus is 9.7%, according to the officials.
Hospitalizations related to the virus declined again to 4,690, with 1,023 of these patients occupying ICU beds and 589 with ventilators, according to health officials.
Pritzker said Friday that while the figures “seem to be heading in the right direction,” state officials are “concerned that the numbers haven’t come down as hastily as we’d like to see so far.”
He noted that possible holiday meetings remain a statewide concern.
“They should know we’re following science. Like I said, when I talked about this a couple of weeks ago, not just Dr. Fauci, but the set, you know, of the doctors we trust to get their bonds. advice as we move forward with this new coronavirus, we say we need to be deeply concerned about the meetings people may have during the holidays, ”Pritzker said. “And that’s why we made the decisions we made.”
Pritzker acknowledged that these restrictions could be lifted after the holidays, however, if the area does not grow and the regions remain below the threshold.
“It’s definitely our intention that we spend this holiday start looking, you know, without having a holiday ahead, right after the New Year to come down to the levels of several of our regions,” he said.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in order for a region to mitigate level 2 again, a region must experience less than 12% of the positivity rate for three consecutive days, along with more than 20%. of the intensive care unit and hospital bed available. availability and decrease in hospitalizations for COVID in seven of the last 10 days.
Many have expressed optimism with the start of coronavirus vaccines in Illinois, including Pritzker, who said earlier this week that vaccinations mark “the beginning of a process that allows us to move toward the total reopening of the state “.
But how long this process will take is still unclear.
“Time, you know, as you talk to the experts, what they would say is that the manufacturing process will take a while so they can deliver to them as quickly as possible,” Pritzker said. “But months will pass here as we work on the ACIP / CDC guidelines first for health workers and for those attending long-term care facilities and then for many others who are in the various stages … until we get the herd immunity. That’s what we all want to achieve the state of Illinois and the United States of America. ”
The first coronavirus vaccines were administered Tuesday in Illinois, first in Chicago and 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 vaccines in Peoria, calling it a “very important day”.
“Everyone has reason to get excited that we’re at the beginning of the end,” Ezike said.
He noted, however, that the first vaccines are just the beginning.
“It’s very important for everyone to understand that you need both vaccines,” he said, referring to the booster dose that people will need to take in the weeks following their first vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine requires two shots three weeks apart.
“It’s an important step, but there’s yet another step,” he added. “I hope everyone watching it is confident that this is a vaccine you should also take.”
In Chicago, the first doses were given to health workers at Loretto Hospital a few minutes earlier.
Dubbing Vaccine Day, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said “finally and finally we have officially taken our first steps on our long road to vaccination against COVID.”
Chicago’s top health official said the first vaccines marked “the start of what will be the end of COVID-19” in the city, but warned the public that it will still be quite some time before the pandemic ends.
Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said she believes it would probably be a year before the coronavirus is “in the rearview mirror.”
“We’ve been there for almost a year now and I think we’ll probably be there one more year when we really get to the point where it’s in the rearview mirror,” he said. “But it’s within our power to keep this virus under control. You know the things that work; please keep doing them.”