 The updated data comes days after Illinois marked
three years since the first reported case of COVID-19 on January 24,
2020. Since that first case, IDPH has recorded a total of 4,019,768
cases and 36,091 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. IDPH is
reporting 10,924 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in
Illinois in the week ending January 22, and 86 deaths.
“It is good news that COVID-19 community levels are continuing to
decline in Illinois, with no counties listed at high level,” said
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “We are seeing a gradual increase in
the rate of the XBB.1.5 ‘Kraken’ variant in the Midwest and Illinois
compared to last week. At this moment, it is not leading to an
increase in hospitalizations. Concerns remain about this variant,
but new data released by the CDC shows that the updated bivalent
COVID-19 booster is protective against it – reducing the risk of
symptoms by nearly half. We ask Illinoisians to remain vigilant and
use readily available tools like vaccines and antiviral treatments
to avoid hospitalizations and protect the most vulnerable.”
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.
[to top of second column] |
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.
As of last night, 999 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in
the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 117 patients were in the ICU
and 45 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary
seven-day statewide case rate is 86 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 25,912,844 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as
of today. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered
daily is 5,349 doses, including the bivalent booster and first
doses. Since January 20, 37,440 vaccine doses were reported
administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, 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
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] |
