NOTE: Illinois' top doctor is set to receive her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at noon. Watch live in the player above.
Chicago's top health official is set to deliver an update on the city's travel order Tuesday as well as the latest data on coronavirus across the city.
Illinois' top doctor said Monday that the new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom is likely already present in the state and could become dominant in just months.
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also announced Monday that regions that meet specific criteria can roll back from Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions beginning Friday.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic across the state of Illinois today, Jan. 12:
Chicago Changes Travel Order Guidance 'to Prevent Further Spread of COVID-19'
Chicago's emergency travel order was changed once again Tuesday as the city transitions to a two-tiered system "to prevent further spread of COVID-19," health officials announced.
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Under the new guidelines, which take effect Friday, states are categorized as either "orange" or "yellow," eliminating a previous "red" category.
Orange states and territories have average coronavirus rates above 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents and yellow states and territories have rates below 15 cases per day, per 100,000 residents.
"Chicago has experienced several weeks of mostly stable or declining new daily cases, and the test positivity rate has decreased and is now 10.3%," CDPH said in a release Tuesday. "The city is now seeing 38 new daily cases based on a 7-day rolling average, which is a lower rate than when the 3-tiered system was implemented in November 2020."
As of Tuesday, Hawaii is the only state listed as "yellow" and all 49 other states are in the orange category, as are Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, according to the city's health department. The list is next set to be updated on Jan. 26.
Kane County Health Department Launches Form to Update Residents on COVID Vaccine
Kane County residents can fill out a form to receive updates on when they might be eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine and how they can register.
The county's health department is expecting to release new information on vaccine registration for residents in the coming weeks, and launched a form on its website to keep people informed.
"In the coming months, we believe it is going to be crucial to share timely and important information with the general public as it becomes available," the form's message reads.
The health department said it is working with state health officials to "prepare for transitioning through phases," but no exact dates have been given for when the region will move out of Phase 1A and into Phase 1B. The department said "it is dependent on many variables including availability of the vaccine."
They expect to have more information on when residents can register for the vaccine by "late January or early February."
Illinois' Top Doctor to Receive Coronavirus Vaccine
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike will receive her coronavirus vaccination Tuesday. The department says she plans to also "encourage others to get vaccinated when eligible."
The vaccination will take place at noon at North Riverside Health Center. Watch live in the player above.
Are You Eligible to Get Vaccinated in the Next Phase of Illinois' Plan?
More than 3 million Illinois residents are expected to be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the next phase of the state's rollout.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he plans to announce sometime this week when the state will enter Phase 1B, though some areas may already be allowed to do so. Moving to the next phase, however, won't mean that those eligible during the first phase cannot still receive the vaccine.
"I expect to make a formal announcement later this week on when Illinois
will move into Phase 1B on a statewide basis," Pritzker said during his coronavirus update Monday. "Of course, anyone in Phase 1A who has chosen not to get vaccinated yet will always be able to opt in during any subsequent round – this is about leaving no vaccine sitting on the shelves as we move forward."
Phase 1B will center on residents age 65 years and older and "frontline essential workers," including first responders, education workers like teachers and support staff, childcare workers, grocery store employees, postal service workers, and more.
Click here for more on who is eligible in the next phase.
Chicago Officials to Update Travel Order, Detail Latest Data
Chicago's top health official is set to deliver an update Tuesday on the city's emergency travel order requiring a negative test or quarantine upon arrival in the city.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady is scheduled to deliver the update during a news conference at 1 p.m. from City Hall. The news conference can be watched live in the video player above.
The update will include the latest info on the travel order, as well as new data on the coronavirus pandemic across Chicago, and the latest details on vaccine distribution, officials say.
‘It Will be the Dominant Strain:' Illinois' Top Doctor Warns of New UK COVID-19 Strain
While the new, more contagious strain of COVID-19 that was first identified in the United Kingdom hasn't been officially reported in Illinois, the state's top doctor said Monday the strain is likely already present and could become dominant in just months.
At a news conference alongside Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the director of the state's Department of Public Health, warned of more infectious spread as early as March, which is when she said the majority of COVID-19 cases could be from the new variant.
The British variant was first detected in September, World Health Organization officials previously announced. Since then, cases have skyrocketed across the U.K., resulting in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to impose a national lockdown.
Unlike when the virus first surfaced in the U.K., Ezike said, Illinois officials are aware the new strain "is brewing."
"Therefore we have the opportunity to use that information and make better choices around the mitigation...around avoiding gatherings so that we can get as many people vaccinated...before this variant inevitably takes over," she warned.
Ezike emphasized that the strain hasn't been identified, because it's probably circulating at such low numbers. In Indiana, health officials there confirmed the existence of the strain Monday.
Pritzker to Announce This Week When Illinois Will Move to Phase 1B for Vaccinations
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce this week when Illinois will enter Phase 1B of its coronavirus vaccine rollout, though some areas may already be allowed to do so.
"I expect to make a formal announcement later this week on when Illinois
will move into Phase 1B on a statewide basis," Pritzker said during his coronavirus update Monday. "Of course, anyone in Phase 1A who has chosen not to get vaccinated yet will always be able to opt in during any subsequent round – this is about leaving no vaccine sitting on the shelves as we move forward."
So far, 587,900 total doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been delivered to Illinois, 478,175 doses have been sent to public and private healthcare providers outside of Chicago and 109,725 doses have gone to providers in Chicago.
Illinois as a whole has administered approximately 334,939 vaccine doses as of Sunday night.
"We are making important progress in Phase 1A and I appreciate the hard work of healthcare providers across the state to move as quickly through this phase as possible," Pritzker said. "In some communities, they’ve even been able to substantially complete Phase 1A. IDPH is allowing any local health department in that position to move into the early stages of Phase 1B because we want to make sure any available vaccine is administered quickly to the priority groups we’ve laid out."
Read more here.
Pritzker Lays Out Criteria for Regions to Lift Tier 3 COVID-19 Mitigations
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that healthcare regions that meet specific criteria can roll back from Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions beginning Friday, Jan. 15.
All 11 healthcare regions in the state have been under Tier 3 mitigation rules since late November, which include reductions in capacity at businesses and a variety of other restrictions.
Beginning Friday, the governor says that regions can begin to move forward to Tier 2 mitigations if they adhere to three different statistical criteria beginning later this week.
Pritzker says that three key metrics must be met in order for a region to move forward from Tier 3 mitigations:
-A seven-day positivity rate of 12% or lower for three consecutive days.
-An availability of 20% or greater of staffed ICU and general hospital beds for three consecutive days.
-A decline in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations on seven days in a 10-day span.
Illinois Officials Report 4,776 New Coronavirus Cases, 53 Additional Deaths Monday
Illinois health officials have reported 4,776 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in the state over the last 24 hours, along with 53 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Monday's new cases bring the state to 1,033,526 confirmed and probable cases of the virus since the pandemic began, along with 17,627 deaths.
Another 1,736 deaths have been classified as “probable” COVID-19 fatalities, according to IDPH officials.
Over the last 24 hours, 66,697 new test results have been returned to state laboratories, bringing the statewide testing total to 14,169,986.
According to a press release from IDPH, the preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate on all tests performed dropped to 7.6%, while the positivity rate on unique individuals tested now stands at 8.9% during that time.
Hospitalizations increased slightly Monday, with 3,540 patients currently hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those patients, 759 are currently in intensive care units, while 401 are on ventilators.
Lightfoot Explains Why Chicago's Stay-at-Home Advisory Was Extended
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot extended the city's stay-at-home advisory to remain "aligned" with state guidance, she said Monday.
The city's stay-at-home advisory was extended through Jan. 22 as the coronavirus pandemic continues, officials announced Sunday.
"We extended it to make sure that it was aligned with I think what the state was doing, but we are making significant progress," Lightfoot said during an unrelated press event Monday. "We have been coming back down even through Thanksgiving and then Christmas and New Year's so we are making steady progress overall so the advisory is really about making sure that we're doing everything that we can to give people the best information."
Lightfoot noted that while some questioned why the order's extension came at the same time Chicago Public Schools began bringing some students back to classrooms, anyone attending school or leaving for essential purposes, including teaching, was exempt "from the very beginning."
Chicago's top doctor echoed that claim.
"We specifically say people who are going to work who are going to school or who are performing other essential activities should continue to do so," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said, adding that the city continues to make "very good progress."
