 IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra is reminding the
public that basic health precautions are especially important when
it comes to protecting members of the family who are most vulnerable
to severe outcome, including older family members and the very
young. He strongly urges parents to take advantage of the newly
authorized bivalent boosters for children six months and older.
According to the CDC, 86 counties in Illinois rated at an elevated
level for COVID-19 by the CDC, up from 74 a week ago. Of those, the
CDC reported 43 Illinois counties at a High Community Level for
COVID-19, up from 29 a week ago; while 43 counties are at Medium
Level, compared to 45 last week. IDPH is reporting 23,334 new
confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois since December
9, and 82 deaths.
“Illinois continues to see a dramatic rise in communities at
elevated risk levels for COVID-19, including 43 counties that are
now at a high risk,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “As we
prepare for holiday gatherings with our loved ones, I want to remind
Illinoisians that these elevated COVID-19 community levels, along
with rising flu levels, are leading to a surge of respiratory
infections, increased hospitalizations and limited hospital beds. I
strongly recommend all Illinoisians take preventative steps to
protect themselves and their family and friends, especially those
most vulnerable including young children and individuals over 65.
“These preventative measures start with being up-to-date with the
COVID-19 bivalent booster that is now authorized for children as
young as six months old. Getting your flu shot is very important
too. Other important protective steps include COVID-19 testing,
especially if visiting someone at risk for severe disease; enhanced
ventilation at gatherings; and good hand hygiene. And if you are
sick, stay home and consult with your provider about whether you
need one of the effective treatments that are available. A
high-quality mask or respirator is also recommended and will protect
you from COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory viruses. Our hope
is for Illinoisians across our state to have a happy and healthy
holiday season.”
Dr. Vohra stressed that those who test positive for COVID-19 should
immediately contact their healthcare provider to discuss whether
they need treatment with one of the effective antiviral medications,
Paxlovid, Lagverio and Remdesivir. All of these have been found to
work against the current strains of the virus.
Access to tests and treatments can be found at the following test to
treat site or by contacting your provider for treatment options,
within 5 days of feeling ill.
IDPH is helping Illinoisans prepare for the fall and winter surge of
COVID-19 cases by offering 1 million free COVID-19 rapid antigen
tests to Illinois residents in all zip codes outside the City of
Chicago through a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation’s
public charity, RF Catalytic Capital and its Project ACT (Access
COVID Tests) program.
Through Project ACT, IDPH is distributing up to one million at-home
antigen tests to 200,000 Illinois households. You can request one
package of five tests on a first-come-first-serve basis at the
Project ACT website. The tests will be delivered to the home
address.
Free or low cost COVID-19 testing locations are also available
throughout the state, including in Chicago, and can be found on the
IDPH website’s testing locator page.
The CDC authorized two new bivalent booster vaccines on September 1
that include an mRNA component of the original strain to provide an
immune response that is broadly protective against COVID-19 and an
added mRNA component in common between the omicron variant BA.4 and
BA.5 lineages to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused
by the omicron variant.
Initially, the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, was authorized
for use as a single booster dose in individuals 18 years of age and
older and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, was
authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 12 years
of age and older. On October 12, the CDC authorized the updated
COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech for children ages 5 through
11 years, and from Moderna for children and adolescents ages 6
through 17 years.
On December 9, the CDC expanded its authorization for bivalent
boosters to include children aged 6 months to 5 years. Children ages
6 months through 5 years who previously completed a Moderna primary
series can now receive a Moderna bivalent booster 2 months after
their final primary series dose. Children ages 6 months through 4
years who are completing a Pfizer primary series will receive a
Pfizer bivalent vaccine as their third primary dose.
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The updated boosters are available at pharmacies,
hospitals, and other healthcare providers. The best way to locate a
vaccine provider near you is to visit www.vaccines.gov and search
for bivalent booster availability.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,930,135 cases, including
35,632 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of
the pandemic.
As of last night, 1,712 individuals in Illinois were
reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 211 patients
were in the ICU and 63 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 183 COVID-19 cases
per 100,000 Illinoisans.
The CDC recommends the following measures for people in areas that
are rated at High Community Level for COVID-19 transmission:
• Wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of
vaccination status (including in K-12 schools and other indoor
community settings)
• If you are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease
o Wear a mask or respirator that provides you with greater
protection
o Consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where
you could be exposed
o Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to take
other precautions
o Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests
or access to testing)
o IF YOU TEST POSITIVE: Talk to your healthcare provider about
whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, and
monoclonal antibodies
• If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk
for severe disease
o consider self-testing to detect infection before contact
o consider wearing a mask when indoors with them
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
• Maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when
possible
• Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including
getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of
COVID-19
In counties at the Medium Community Level, persons who are elderly
or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to
wear a mask in indoor public places. They should also get up to date
on COVID-19 vaccines or get their bivalent booster, if eligible.
IDPH has been supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in
efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized
treatments. There are over 1,200 treatment locations in Illinois -
including all the major retail pharmacies. More than 96.7% of the
state’s population is within a 10-mile radius of one of these
locations.
A total of 25,597,784 vaccines have been administered in Illinois.
The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is
15,174 doses, including the bivalent booster and first doses. Since
December 9, 106,218 vaccine doses were reported administered in
Illinois. More than 2 million people in Illinois have received the
new bivalent booster dose since it was authorized. Of Illinois’
total population, more than 78% have received at least one COVID-19
vaccine dose, 71% have completed their primary series of COVID-19
vaccines, and of the eligible population, more than 17% have
received the bivalent booster dose, according to data from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes
from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those
who are up to date on their vaccinations. All data are provisional
and are subject to change. Additional information and COVID-19 data
can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19
vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov. The federal
government has established a new website that provides an
all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks,
treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the
country at: https://www.covid.gov/.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |
