 “The therapeutic treatments that are available for
COVID-19 work,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “The data from
Illinois that IDPH released today show just how effective these
treatments can be at protecting people who contract COVID-19 from
being hospitalized and severe outcomes. These treatments are
especially recommended for individuals over 50 and those with
underlying medical conditions. The key is to start these medications
quickly, within the first five days. If you have COVID-19 symptoms,
please test and get treated right away.
“Vaccines continue to be the most effective tools for preventing the
most severe symptoms of COVID-19,” Dr. Vohra continued. “The new
booster shots, now available, are the latest, most advanced tool to
keep Illinois residents safe and protected. These new bivalent
vaccines are designed to offer extra protection against the omicron
variants which are now the dominant strain of the virus. Getting up
to date is especially important for those who are most at risk of
serious outcomes. We encourage everyone who is eligible to get up to
date with these new boosters as soon as possible.”
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 go to www.vaccines.gov and search for
bivalent booster availability.
According to the CDC, 28 Illinois counties are now rated at High
Community Level for COVID-19. An additional 40 counties in Illinois
are now rated at Medium Community Level.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,716,318 cases, including
34,811 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of
the pandemic.
As of last night, 1,314 individuals in Illinois were reported to be
in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 163 patients were in the
ICU and 48 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The
preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 156 COVID-19 cases per
100,000 Illinoisans.
The counties in Illinois listed at High Community Level are: Adams,
Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, Douglas,
Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jo Daviess,
Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Marion, Massac, Ogle, Perry, Pike, Saline,
Wabash, Wayne, Whiteside, and Williamson.
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)
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 If you are immunocompromised or high risk for
severe disease
Wear a mask or respirator that provides you with
greater protection
Consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where
you could be exposed
Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to take
other precautions
Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or
access to testing)
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
consider self-testing to detect infection before contact
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
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. In addition, they should make sure to
get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their 2nd 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 23,289,535 vaccines have been administered in Illinois.
The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is
5,825 doses. Since September 2, 40,777 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 more than 54%
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] |
