 “I am encouraged to see COVID-19 community levels
once again declining and hospital capacity remaining stable this
week,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Thank you to all
Illinois residents who have continued to protect themselves and
their loved ones from infection. IDPH is closely monitoring the XBB
‘Kraken’ variant which is spreading in the northeastern United
States and leading to increased cases and hospitalizations. Although
we are currently seeing low rates in Illinois at about 8% of
clinical samples, it is important for all of us to prepare for and
be aware of this emerging variant. Please continue to use all of the
tools available to protect yourself and your loved ones from
COVID-19, the flu, and other respiratory diseases, especially those
most at risk for severe disease.”
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.
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 3,997,877cases, including
35,927 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of
the pandemic.
As of last night, 1,395
individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with
COVID-19. Of those, 169 patients were in the ICU and 62 patients
with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day
statewide case rate is 130 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)
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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
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 25,827,307 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as
of today. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered
daily is 8,689 doses, including the bivalent booster and first
doses. Since January 6, 60,825 vaccine doses were reported
administered in Illinois. 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 18% 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] |
