Note: All news conferences from Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, or other officials are streamed in the video player above.
Chicago’s mayor and top health official will provide an update on the city’s vaccination plan Monday.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois health regions continue to see declines in positivity rates and hospital admissions across the state.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic in the state of Illinois today (Dec. 28):
IDES prepares to implement unemployment program extensions passed in federal COVID Relief Bill
The Illinois Department of Employment Security is preparing to pay out new unemployment benefits approved by the COVID-19 bill signed into law by President Donald Trump this weekend, but is also asking for more guidance from the Department of Labor to ensure prompt payment. of those benefits.
In a press release released Monday, IDES officials say they are urging authorities to “not create further hardships” and criticized the president for his “passivity” after delaying signing the aid package earlier this month.
The new emergency relief bill not only included payments to US residents, but also included renewals for several major programs, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits, and expanded benefits programs.
These programs all expired on December 26 under the provisions of the original CARES law, passed in March, but were all expanded with the new COVID-19 aid package. Lawmakers have warned of possible arrears due to Trump’s objections to the bill, which he brought up only after the House and Senate voted in favor of the measure.
Read more here.
First doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine administered in Chicago
First-line workers at the Esperanza Health Centers in Chicago received their first doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday, becoming the first individuals in town to receive the long-awaited vaccine.
Mainly serving the Southwest Side of Chicago, Esperanza was one of six federally qualified health centers that began administering the Moderna vaccine on Monday.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called Esperanza a lifeline for the Latinx community and explained that equality remains the city’s COVID-19 strategy as the virus disproportionately affects people of color.
“I know the challenges many members of the Latinx community face, and they can be insurmountable at times,” the mayor said at a press conference at the health center near Brighton Park.
The introduction of the modern vaccine is particularly exciting, said Dr. Allison Arwady, the Chicago Department of Health commissioner, because, unlike the Pfizer vaccine, it does not require ultra-cold storage.
About 16,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to be delivered in the city by the end of the week, Arwady said. Likewise, the city expects that more than 21,000 doses of Pfizker vaccine will be administered in the same period.
Illinois surpasses 16K deaths since coronavirus pandemic began
Health officials in Illinois reported 4,453 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus Monday, along with 105 additional deaths from the virus.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state has now reported 942,362 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic, along with 16,074 total deaths.
In the past 24 hours, 51,046 new tests have returned to laboratories across the state. According to data from IDPH, a total of 13,036,658 tests were conducted during the pandemic.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate for tests was 8.7% Monday, while the positivity rate for cases was 7.2%. Both numbers mark increases from the day before.
Hospital admissions in the state ticked up on Monday to 4,243 patients who received care for the coronavirus. The number of patients in intensive care units has dropped to 884, while there are currently 515 patients on ventilators in the state because of COVID-19.
Chicago officials to update vaccine plan
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city’s top doctor will provide an update on the city’s coronavirus vaccination plan Monday, according to Lightfoot’s public schedule.
Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Lightfoot and Chicago Department of Health, will deliver the update at a press conference Monday at 2:00 pm at the Esperanza Health Center, located at 4700 S. California Ave., according to the mayor’s office.
The update can be viewed live in the video player above.
In Numbers: Coronavirus Statistics in Each of Illinois’ Health Regions
Several health regions in Illinois continue to see declines in positivity rates and hospital admissions, with several currently lining up to see Tier 3 mitigations reflected in the fight against the coronavirus.
Here’s where each of Illinois’s health regions stands in terms of statistics as of Dec. 27.
Region 1 (Northwest Illinois):
In this region, the number of hospital admissions has decreased in eight of the past 10 days. The region has had an availability of 20% or more of hospital and intensive care beds for 11 days and the positivity rate in the region is 8.7%. All of these metrics fall within the parameters of reversing Tier 3 mitigations, but it’s unclear when the state will give the region the green light to do so.
Region 2 (West-Central Illinois):
The positivity rate in this region continued to decline slowly this week, to 8.8%, with more than 29% of hospital beds available. The availability of ICU beds is now at 22.7% and will exceed 20% on Monday for the third consecutive day. The region has also seen a decline in hospital admissions in the past 10 days.
Region 3 (West Illinois):
This region has one of the lowest positivity rates in the state at 6.9%. The availability of hospital beds is 29.5%, while the availability of intensive care beds is still below the 20% threshold, which is 17.1%. Hospital admissions have declined six out of the past 10 days, but have increased in recent days.
Region 4 (Southwest Illinois):
This region is seeing its positivity rate increase as it is now 12% on the bud. The hospital bed (21.4%) and availability of intensive care beds (21.5%) have both finally reached the 20% threshold this week, and the region has seen nine days of hospitalization decline in the past 10 days.
Region 5 (Southern Illinois):
The positivity rate in the region is now 12.2% and has remained broadly stable over the past 10 days. ICU bed availability is still low, currently 16.5%, and hospital bed availability is now up to 40.5%, more than double the threshold required to move forward from Tier 3 mitigation.
Region 6 (East Central Illinois):
The positivity rate in this region is 8.6%, while the availability of hospital beds (30.6%) and the availability of ICU beds (35.6%) are well above the thresholds needed to proceed from Tier 3 Mitigations. In general, hospital admissions also continued to decline steadily in the region.
Region 7 (Will, Kankakee counties):
The positivity rate in this region continued to decline to 10.3% this week, while hospital bed availability (29.6%) and IC bed availability (26.5%) both continued to increase. Hospital admissions have generally declined in the past 10 days.
Region 8 (DuPage, Kane counties):
In this region, the availability of hospital beds (24.7%) and the availability of intensive care beds (27.9%) has increased in recent days, while the number of hospital admissions has decreased in the past 10 days. The region’s positivity rate has dropped to 9%.
Region 9 (McHenry, Lake counties):
The availability of hospital beds in the region has finally passed the 20% threshold and is now at 21.1%. The availability of IC beds is 32.1% and the number of hospital admissions has decreased in the last five days. The region’s positivity rate is 8.8%.
Region 10 (Suburban Cook County):
The region’s positivity rate stands at 9.3%, while the number of hospital admissions has declined in the past 10 days. The availability of IC beds is starting to increase, now at 19.7%, while the availability of hospital beds is now at 26.6%.
Region 11 (Chicago):
With a decrease of 10 days of hospitalization, a positivity rate of 8.6%, hospital bed availability of 23.9%, and ICU bed availability of 26.6%, Chicago would be eligible to advance from Tier 3 on Monday mitigations if the city made use of state statistics.
United Airlines requires UK travelers to show a negative test when flying to Chicago
Amid concerns about a newly detected coronavirus variant spreading across the UK, United Airlines announced on Thursday that all travelers from the UK flying into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport will require a negative coronavirus test. show.
According to the airline, anyone traveling from London Heathrow to Chicago, Newark, Washington Dulles and San Francisco must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departure from Monday.
“The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority,” the airline said in a statement. United is a leader in implementing new policies and innovations designed to keep employees and passengers safer while traveling, including mask mandates and the requirement that customers complete a ‘Ready-to-Fly’ checklist before the flight begins and acknowledges that no COVID diagnosis has been made. -19 in the past 14 days and have no COVID-related symptoms. ”
The latest requirement applies to any traveler over the age of 5 and can include molecular or antigen testing. Those with connecting flights at LHR whose travel originates from another country will be exempted, the airline said.
This month, United will operate four daily flights from London Heathrow to its four US hubs.