 IDPH
has recorded a total of 4,127,625 cases and 36,735 deaths, in 102
counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The
department is reporting 5,278 new confirmed and probable cases of
COVID-19 in Illinois in the week ending April 9, and 9 deaths.
Both IDPH and the Illinois Department on Aging have endorsed action
this week by both the FDA and the CDC to simplify their
recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations. The two federal agencies
approved an optional additional updated bivalent vaccine dose for
adults ages 65 years and older and optional additional doses for
people who are immunocompromised. The bivalent booster is designed
to offer better protection against newer strains of the virus.
“The FDA and CDC’s decision to approve a second COVID-19 booster
this week demonstrates the real risk that this illness continues to
pose for specific groups,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra.
“Although Illinois overall continues to have low COVID-19 community
levels, the virus is still circulating and causing hospitalizations.
Vaccines remain the best tool to prevent serious illness. I
encourage those individuals who are over 65 or immunocompromised to
speak with their health care provider about the benefits of this
additional COVID-19 booster.”
“Every dose of the vaccine provides a shot of protection against the
virus that has taken so much from us over the last few years,” said
IDoA Director Paula Basta. “If you are eligible for a second updated
bivalent booster, strongly consider scheduling it now to keep
yourself and your loved ones as protected as possible.”
On April 19, the CDC recommended a second bivalent booster for those
who are 65 and older if it has been at least four months since their
first bivalent booster. For those who are immunocompromised, they
are eligible for a second bivalent booster if it has been at least
two months since their first bivalent booster.
IDPH continues to urge the public to seek
treatment quickly if they test positive for COVID-19. Treatment is
widely available and IDPH announced recently that SIU Medicine has
made it easier to obtain care by offering a new telehealth test to
treat service for COVID-19, in partnership with the department. The
service is aimed at providing faster and easier access to treatment
for Illinoisans who contract COVID-19. Those who test positive are
encouraged to call 217-545-5100 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through
Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays to schedule a
telehealth appointment to determine if medical treatment is
recommended. Appointments will be offered on a first-come,
first-serve basis.
Additional options for obtaining 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 stay prepared for any future 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 previously 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.
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Initially, the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent,
was recommended 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. On March 14,
the FDA expanded its authorization for bivalent boosters to include
children aged 6 months to 4 years who had previously completed their
entire Pfizer primary series with the monovalent vaccine. For young
children, multiple doses of bivalent vaccine continue to be
recommended and will vary by age, vaccine, and which vaccines were
previously received.
Under the new recommendations, children 6 months through 5 years of
age who are unvaccinated may receive a two-dose series of the
Moderna bivalent vaccine (6 months through 5 years of age) OR a
three-dose series of the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine (6 months
through 4 years of age). Children who are 5 years of age may receive
two doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine or a single dose of the
Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.
Children 6 months through 5 years of age who have received one, two
or three doses of a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine may receive a
bivalent vaccine, but the number of doses that they receive will
depend on the vaccine and their vaccination history.
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.
As of last night, 558 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in
the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 65 patients were in the ICU
and 22 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary
seven-day statewide case rate is 44 COVID-19 cases per 100,000
Illinoisans.
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 26,138,116 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as
of today. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered
daily is 2,458 doses, including the bivalent booster and first
doses. Since April 14, 17,205 vaccine doses were reported
administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than
79% have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 71%
have completed their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines, and more
than 20% 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/.
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