Health officials on Saturday identified Lake County’s first case of the COVID-19 variant circulating in the UK
Meanwhile, Chicago officials urged residents to remember the coronavirus safety protocol ahead of the anticipated Super Bowl Sunday rallies.
Here are the latest COVID-19 headlines from around the state:
Lake County reports first case of COVID-19 variant
The first case of the COVID-19 variant was identified in Lake County, health officials announced Saturday.
The Lake County Health Department reported the first case of the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7, the strain that has been circulating more frequently in the UK in recent months.
The person infected with the variant had traveled internationally and was in contact with a sick person before leaving to return to the US in late December, health officials said.
According to the department, the person has not experienced any symptoms of the coronavirus.
“We expect to see more cases of these new variants in Lake County as they appear to spread more easily and more quickly than other variants,” said Dr. Sana Ahmed, medical epidemiologist for LCHD. “It is extremely important that you follow quarantine recommendations and get tested if you have traveled or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.”
Health officials recalled that studies suggest the currently available COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the new strains.
Click here for more information about the new coronavirus strain.
Illinois reports 3,062 new COVID-19 cases, 60 additional deaths on Saturday
Health officials in Illinois reported 3,062 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus on Saturday, along with 60 additional deaths from the virus.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Saturday’s new cases bring the state to 1,144,281 cases of the virus in the state, with 19,585 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the pandemic began last year.
In the past 24 hours, 90,295 test specimens have been submitted to state laboratories, bringing the total statewide tests conducted to 16,555,035.
The seven-day positivity rate rose slightly to 3.4% on Saturday from 3.3% the day before. The positivity rate in subjects tested during that period decreased to 4.2%.
Friday night, there were 2,271 coronavirus patients in Illinois hospitals. Of those patients, 485 were in intensive care units, while 246 were on ventilators.
The total number of vaccine doses administered so far is 1,294,498 doses, including 188,351 in long-term care facilities through the federal partnership with pharmacies.
A total of 2,132,025 doses have been sent to Illinois, with the 7-day moving average of vaccines administered daily amounting to 49,909 doses.
Chicago officials are pushing for safety during the Super Bowl celebrations this weekend
As the Chicago coronavirus pandemic continues, city officials reminded residents to safely celebrate Super Bowl Sunday.
Chicago’s health commissioner Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Allison Arwady on Friday advised people to take safety precautions, especially as the city has its lowest COVID-19 positivity rate since October.
“We’ve made so much progress in the past few weeks – now is not the time to lower our guard,” said Lightfoot. “I will watch the game at home with my wife and daughter, and I urge all Chicago residents to do the same and avoid gatherings. Let’s not make the Super Bowl a super spreader event! “
City officials recalled that traditional Super Bowl gatherings have the potential to be super-spreading events for the coronavirus, so they are urging residents to order takeout from a local bar or restaurant and avoid mixed household parties.
According to Lightfoot and Arwady, this is the best way to avoid indoor gatherings with people outside the household. However, when guests are indoors, health officials said people should keep a distance of six feet and wear face covers.
“While Super Bowl parties of any kind are strongly discouraged, Chicago residents are reminded that, per health order, indoor-residential gatherings should be limited to no more than ten people,” said a press release.
Since the city is in phase 4 coroanavirus mitigation, the following rules apply if you go to bars or restaurants:
- Six people per table
- Two meters between tables
- Indoor capacity limited to 25% or 25 people
According to a press release, business and consumer protection workers across the city of Chicago will be visiting entertainment venues ahead of Sunday’s big event.
CPS Pre-K and cluster students return Tuesday as dispute with CTU continues
Chicago Public Schools released a detailed plan for the return to personal instruction on Friday, calling for students in pre-K and cluster programs to be back in class from Tuesday, even as the personal learning debate continues with the Chicago Teachers Union. .
Under the phased reopening, teachers and staff from pre-K and cluster will return to school buildings Monday, and students will join the next day.
On Friday morning, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city and CPS had presented the union with their “final, best, and final offer”.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said the offer in question “cannot hold up” and is a “threat” to cut students off from education.
Sharkey said the CPS offer would interrupt personal learning if there are COVID-19 outbreaks in 50% of buildings at the same time, which he says affects more than 200 schools. He also noted that the proposal “will deny 75 percent of educators with family members at high risk for COVID-19 remote housing” and “will not improve distance learning, despite four out of five students remaining at a distance. “.
While agreements have been made on a number of issues, according to the school district, the following remain unresolved: vaccinations, housing for staff with vulnerable household members, metrics of interruption of personal learning, and a phased reopening.
Under the phased reopening proposal announced by CPS on Friday, teachers and staff from kindergarten through fifth grade will return to school buildings on Tuesday, February 16, while their students will return Monday, February 22.
Teachers and staff from grades 6 to 8 will return to class on Monday, February 22, with their students on March 1.
A limited number of students in pre-K and programs returned to classrooms last month in accordance with the district’s plan, although those students had to resume learning remotely after the union vote.
Thousands of elementary and high school staff and teachers were expected to return to school last week, with an estimated 71,000 students due to join them Monday – although both were postponed amid the standoff.
Read more here.
Kroger will pay employees $ 100 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
Kroger is offering a $ 100 incentive for employees who receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as a way to encourage employees to get vaccinated, the Cincinnati-based supermarket chain announced Friday.
The vaccination payment will be offered to all employees who provide proof of vaccination to their human resources representative, the company said.
Employees who cannot receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons have the option to take an educational health and safety course to receive payment.
The company also announced an additional $ 50 million investment to thank and reward employees, including a $ 100 store credit and 1,000 fuel points for each hour of frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy, and call center employees.
Mariano’s grocery store in Chicago is a subsidiary of Kroger.
Chicago is closing city-run COVID testing sites for several days due to weather
With a bitter cold snap to hit the Chicago area, Chicago-operated coronavirus testing sites will be closed for several days, officials announced Thursday.
Starting Friday, city-run test sites will close for five days until Feb. 10, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications in Chicago tweeted.
The move is “due to bad weather.”
Read more here.
80 new COVID vaccination sites open in Illinois, state announces
The state of Illinois has added 80 new COVID-19 vaccination sites, according to a press release from government officials on Thursday.
More than 3.2 million residents of the state are eligible for Phase 1B vaccinations, including people 65 and older and “frontline workers”.
A total of 390 vaccination sites have been opened in the state.
The newly created sites include 78 additional Walgreens sites, as well as two Illinois National Guard sites in Cook and St. Clair counties.
Current vaccination sites in the state are available by appointment only, but the state plans to launch walk-in sites in the coming weeks, officials previously said.
For a complete list of ways to book an appointment or where to get vaccine information for your area, click here.
All of Illinois now in Phase 4 after the latest region lifted coronavirus restrictions
All of Illinois is now under Phase 4 coronavirus guidelines after the last of the state’s 11 regions that still had tougher measures brought some of those restrictions to the same level as the rest of the state on Thursday, health officials said. known.
Region 4, also known as the Metro East Region of southern Illinois, moved directly from Tier 2 mitigations to Phase 4, skipping Tier 1 entirely. That move means that all 11 regions of the state are now in Phase 4, after the state allowed the regions to continue following the holidays in mid-January.
Regions 8 and 9 – including DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties in the Chicago area – were able to ease restrictions further on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Region 10, which includes suburban Cook County, moved to Phase 4, while Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, returned Monday. The city of Chicago entered a modified version of the stage last weekend.