An additional 131,411 coronavirus vaccine doses were administered in Illinois Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 8,473,953, public health officials reported.
As of Thursday, 50.99% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The number of residents who have been fully vaccinated — receiving both of the required shots, or Johnson & Johnson’s single shot — reached 3,572,205, or 28.04% of the total population.
Officials also reported 3,170 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, resulting from 81,133 tests. The seven-day positivity rate statewide for cases as a share of total tests is 3.8% as of Tuesday, down from 4.2% one week ago.
Meanwhile, DePaul University and Columbia College Chicago are the first post-secondary schools in Illinois to require COVID-19 vaccines for students returning to campus this fall.
So far, 58 colleges in the U.S. will require students or employees to be vaccinated before fall, according to a list maintained by the Chronicle of Higher Education. All but three of the universities are private.
Additionally, a number of hospitals in northwest and central Illinois are filling up — and at least one ran out of intensive care unit beds — amid the latest COVID-19 surge.
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Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area:
3:15 p.m.: COVID-19 questions answered: Do vaccinated people still need to wear masks outdoors? My period is abnormal after receiving my vaccination. Why?
Do vaccinated people still need to wear masks outdoors? Yes, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause continues, but what happens if I received it? Has your period been somewhat irregular after getting your vaccination?
These are some of the many questions readers have sent us that we’ve put to health and science experts.
Read more here. —Chicago Tribune staff
1:18 p.m.: State says 131,411 more COVID-19 vaccinations administered, with 28% of Illinois residents now fully inoculated
An additional 131,411 coronavirus vaccine doses were administered in Illinois Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 8,473,953, public health officials reported.
As of Thursday, 50.99% of residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The number of residents who have been fully vaccinated — receiving both of the required shots, or Johnson & Johnson’s single shot — reached 3,572,205, or 28.04% of the total population.
Over the last seven days, the state reached an average of 123,078 vaccines administered daily.
Officials also reported 3,170 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, resulting from 81,133 tests. The seven-day positivity rate statewide for cases as a share of total tests is 3.8% as of Tuesday, down from 4.2% one week ago.
As of Wednesday night, 2,147 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 511 patients in intensive care units and 238 patients on ventilators. The seven-day average of total hospitalizations is 2,157, the highest since an average of 2,211 was recorded Feb. 9.
Officials also reported 33 additional fatalities, contributing to a statewide death toll of 21,755. The total number of known infections in Illinois since the start of the pandemic reached 1,312,722.
—Jenny Whidden
1:01 p.m.: Chicago nursing homes had 22 COVID-19 infections among the fully vaccinated, CDC report says, making ‘breakthrough’ infections rare
Across 78 Chicago skilled nursing facilities, 22 people tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated, suggesting that such “breakthrough” infections are relatively rare, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of the 22 people who tested positive as of the end of March, 12 were residents and 10 were staff. Nearly two-thirds of those people had no symptoms, two had to be hospitalized because of COVID-19 and one died because of multiple other infections.
Read more here. —Lisa Schencker
12:59 p.m.: Kane County Clerk’s Office to fully reopen to the public Monday
Kane County Clerk John Cunningham has announced that the County Clerk’s Office locations in Geneva and Aurora will fully reopen to the public at 8:30 a.m. Monday.
Although the Clerk’s Office has continued to provide essential government services to the public throughout the pandemic, it had been operating by appointment only for the past 13 months in order to limit the amount of people in the office at one time, officials said.
Read more here. —Aurora Beacon-News staff
12:54 p.m.: All Chicago mass COVID-19 vaccination sites to open for walk-in appointments starting Friday
Citing a long-awaited increase in COVID-19 vaccine supply, Chicago’s public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady on Thursday said all city mass vaccination sites will accept walk-in appointments starting Friday.
The locations, which include the United Center site that is run in conjunction with the federal government, will open up access in order in order to accommodate residents who don’t want to or cannot schedule appointments ahead of time, Arwady said during a Thursday question-and-answer session. The announcement comes after three Cook County mass vaccination sites in the south suburbs — Matteson, Summit and Tinley Park — also opened up to walk-ins this week.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
12:13 p.m.: 3,170 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 33 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 3,170 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 33 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,312,722 and the statewide death toll to 21,755 since the start of the pandemic.
Officials also reported 88,336 new tests in the last 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate for cases is 3.8%.
The 7-day daily average of administered vaccine doses is 123,078, with 131,411 doses given on Wednesday. Officials also say a total of 8,473,953 vaccines have now been administered.
—Chicago Tribune staff
10:43 a.m.: Will County clinic reports more vaccines than appointments: ‘There’s no interest in the younger crowd’
Just a few weeks ago, health officials in Will County were clamoring for more vaccine. Now they find themselves in need of more arms.
Will County isn’t alone as demand for vaccine begins to dwindle and health departments find themselves dealing with vaccine hesitancy.
“There’s no interest in the younger crowd,” said Jeff Carey, deputy chief of the Joliet Fire Department.
Read more here. —Alicia Fabbre, Daily Southtown
9:32 a.m.: New unemployment claims fall to 547,000, another pandemic low, as job market strengthens
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell last week to 547,000, the lowest point since the pandemic struck and an encouraging sign that layoffs are slowing on the strength of an improving job market.
The Labor Department said Thursday that applications declined 39,000 from a revised 586,000 a week earlier. Weekly jobless claims are down sharply from a peak of 900,000 in early January. At the same time, they’re still far above the roughly 230,000 level that prevailed before the viral outbreak ripped through the economy in March of last year.
Read more here. —Associated Press
6 a.m.: Matteson, Tinley Park mass COVID-19 vaccination sites start accepting walk-ins
Two south suburban Cook County mass COVID-19 vaccination sites is now accepting walk-in appointments as demand for shots dwindles.
The Matteson and Tinley Park mass vaccination locations are opening up access this week as part of a pilot to see whether removing the barrier of making an appointment online or over the phone will expand the county’s endeavor at getting shots into arms, Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha Jr. said in a news conference at Provident Hospital.
The change comes as demand for vaccine, which has been acute in the Chicago area during the first few months of its rollout, has winded down and more of the eligible population in suburban Cook County — about one in two — has gotten at least the first dose, Rocha said. Tuesday’s release of appointments at the county’s mass vaccination sites took a few hours to fill up versus a few minutes, which was how long it took a week earlier, Rocha said.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
6 a.m.: From runaway violence to COVID-19 to the Adam Toledo shooting, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown’s first year saw unending challenges
David Brown’s first year as Chicago police superintendent started in a time of unprecedented difficulty for his new city, and it was only a trying, uphill path from there.
Brown immediately had to navigate the Police Department through the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, with some 2,000 officers eventually being stricken with the virus and three losing their lives. He has had to constantly retool as the city continues to deal with violence levels rarely seen since the 1990s.
He has faced criticism from the city’s government watchdog for his department’s poor response to unrest following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. He has had to convince longtime critics of Chicago police that he’s serious about reforming the embattled department by adhering to a federally mandated consent decree to professionalize a force of more than 12,000.
And once again, all eyes are on the Chicago Police Department as it grapples with another fatal shooting of a teen by one of its officers. The March 29 shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, whose final moments were captured on graphic video footage, sparked protests, vigils and exacerbated the divide between his department and Chicago’s minority neighborhoods.
Brown was confirmed by the Chicago City Council a year ago Thursday, though to many — perhaps including him — it might seem like much longer ago. Now, with warm months looming, Brown faces a crucial stretch of proving himself to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the rest of the city.
Read more here. —Jeremy Gorner
6 a.m.: Kane County officials say vaccine supply finally in line with demand: ‘We need to go out and encourage people to get vaccinated’
The COVID-19 vaccine supply has finally reached – and might even be greater than – the demand in Kane County, officials said Wednesday as several upcoming appointment slots remained open at the Batavia, Aurora and Elgin state-run vaccination sites.
“We’re really entering a second phase in the vaccine campaign,” Michael Isaacson, assistant director of community health for the Kane County Health Department, said. “Initially, people had an overwhelming demand and very limited supply. Now, we’ve reached the tipping point and we’re in a position where we need to go out and encourage people to get vaccinated.”
Since the vaccine rollout in January, several community organizations helped the health department sign up seniors within the community to get vaccinated. They are now shifting their focus to anyone over 16 years old, Isaacson said.
The health department is using social media, community contacts and faith leaders to try to spread the word about the available vaccine appointments.
Read more here. —Megan Jones, Aurora Beacon-News
5 a.m.: Villages across Illinois planning summer events, some ditching mask requirements
Villages large and small across Illinois are looking to attract pent-up demand for outdoor events and, despite COVID-19, some already are announcing masks won’t be required.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said the village’s Memorial Day event will go on with no social distancing requirement, but masks will be required. After that, he said, events for the community of around 33,000 will go on without a mask mandate.
“If you feel uncomfortable, don’t come, you don’t have to be there,” Johnson said. “If you’re nervous, wear a mask. You’re more than welcome to do so, we’ll give you a mask. If you want to distance, there’s more than enough room at our concerts.”
On July 4, the village welcomes rock group Daughtry. On July 13, George Thorogood and The Destroyers will perform at the Village Green. Loverboy performs July 20 and The Beach Boys perform July 27.
Johnson said Elk Grove Village will be firm, but flexible, with its events.
“Obviously if something comes on June 15, some kind of virus from the moon came down that affected coronavirus, makes it deadly no matter if you have the vaccine or not, we would obviously change,” Johnson said. “We don’t think that’s going to happen, but we’re firm but flexible. But we are opening up.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health said it has issued guidance for outdoor events and festivals that local officials should reference.
“Face coverings and social distance continue to be a part of all guidance as we try and beat back another rise in cases,” a spokesman for the department said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s mask mandate expires in early June, unless he issues another emergency rule.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends even fully vaccinated people avoid medium or large gatherings.
Just north of Springfield in Sherman, Mayor Trevor Clatfelter said the village of around 4,500 also is moving forward with events at the village’s pavilion, including a fireworks display on July 4.
—David C.L. Bauer, Jacksonville Journal-Courier, via Tribune Content Agency
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