This brings the total number of bivalent vaccines
administered in Illinois to 341,000. Daily vaccination numbers are
at the highest level seen since early February, during the major
surge in illnesses caused by the Omicron variant. The announcement
comes as 36 counties in Illinois are rated at an elevated level for
COVID-19 by the CDC, down from 66 a week ago. IDPH is reporting
17,373 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois,
including 62 deaths since September 16.
“Across Illinois we are seeing a large numbers of state residents
taking action to protect themselves and their loved ones by seeking
out the updated COVID-19 booster shots,” said IDPH Director Dr.
Sameer Vohra. “This is an encouraging sign as we head into the fall
season and face a potential increase in COVID-19 cases and
hospitalizations. Illinois is fortunate to have a significant supply
of bivalent boosters. I strongly urge all that are eligible to
contact their local pharmacies or medical providers to get protected
as soon as possible – both from COVID-19 and the flu. These vaccines
are especially important for those most vulnerable to severe
illness, such as those individuals over 50, those with underlying
medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised.”
IDPH reported that over the last week, an average of more than
19,000 doses of the new bivalent vaccines have been administered
across the state each day. This is more than double the daily
average for all vaccinations for most of the summer.
The CDC authorized two new bivalent booster vaccines on September 2
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.
The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as a
single booster dose in individuals 18 years of age and older. The
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as
a single booster dose in individuals 12 years of age and older.
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.
According to the CDC, 3 Illinois counties are now rated at High
Community Level for COVID-19. An additional 33 counties in Illinois
are now rated at Medium Community Level.
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Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,751,275
cases, including 34,947 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since
the beginning of the pandemic.
As of last night, 1,069 individuals in Illinois were reported to be
in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 147 patients were in the
ICU and 40 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The
preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 136 COVID-19 cases per
100,000 Illinoisans.
The counties in Illinois listed at High Community Level are Ford,
Jefferson and Wayne.
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 23,653,407 vaccines have been administered in Illinois.
The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is
24,840 doses, including the bivalent booster and first doses. Since
September 16, 173,877 doses were reported administered in Illinois.
Of Illinois’ total population, more than 77% has received at least
one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 69% of Illinois’ total
population is fully vaccinated, and 55% of the vaccinated population
has an initial booster 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] |
