Members of the Chicago Teachers Union approved a deal with Chicago Public Schools to return to in-person learning, the union announced early Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Chicago's top doctor said Tuesday that the next phase of vaccinations could be pushed back.
Here are the latest COVID-19 headlines from around the state:
Suburban Cook County Increases Indoor Dining Capacity in Alignment With Chicago's Coronavirus Guidelines
Suburban Cook County is increasing indoor dining capacity at restaurants and bars to bring the county into alignment with new guidelines the city of Chicago announced Wednesday.
The Cook County Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that it will increase capacity limits in bars, restaurants and event spaces to the lesser of 25% or 50 people in alignment with Chicago's new guidelines.
Chicago is expanding indoor dining capacity, Mayor Lori Lightfoot also announced Wednesday, releasing a new framework and metrics to lift some of those mitigations.
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Effective Thursday, indoor service at bars, restaurants and events in Chicago can expand to the lesser of 25% capacity or 50 people per room or floor, Lightfoot said in a statement.
Chicago to Increase Indoor Dining Capacity for Restaurants, Bars in Easing of Coronavirus Restrictions
Chicago is expanding indoor dining capacity at restaurants and bars as it looks to ease restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Wednesday, releasing a new framework and metrics to lift some of those mitigations.
Additional restrictions can be lifted - including the increase of indoor capacity up to 40% - once the city reaches a "moderate risk" level in certain metrics: COVID-19 cases diagnosed per day and test positivity, among others officials said.
The metrics required to increase capacity to 40% under the new plan are as follows:
- COVID cases diagnosed per day: currently averaging 466, in the “High-Risk” level. This number must be below 400 new cases per day to reach the “Moderate-Risk” level.
- COVID test positivity: currently averaging 4.7%, in the “Low-Risk” level
- Emergency Departments visits for COVID-like illness: currently averaging 69 per day, in the “Moderate-Risk” level
- ICU beds occupied by COVID patients: currently averaging 148, in the “Moderate-Risk” level
Capacity can then increase to 50% after two weeks of successfully maintaining "moderate risk" levels across all four metrics, according to the city.
Click here for more.
Illinois to Expand Vaccine Eligibility Under Phase 1B Later This Month
Illinois is set to expand the list of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in Phase 1B of its rollout, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday.
The state expects to increase eligibility beginning Feb. 25, allowing for people with "a high-risk medical condition" or comorbidity to be vaccinated. The list includes those with cancer, diabetes, obesity, women who are pregnant, and those with several other conditions.
"In light of a steadily increasing federal vaccine supply, Illinois is making plans to expand Phase 1B eligibility on February 25 to people who have comorbidities and underlying conditions as defined by the CDC," the governor's office said in a release. "In addition, Illinois will also prioritize individuals with disabilities."
Click here for more on who will be eligible in the expanded phase.
Coronavirus in Illinois: 2,825 New Cases, 53 Deaths, Nearly 63K Vaccinations Reported Wednesday
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported more than 2,800 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, with 53 additional deaths attributed to the virus and nearly 63,000 doses of the vaccine administered the day before.
According to the latest IDPH data, 2,825 confirmed and probable cases have been reported over the last 24 hours. Those new cases bring the statewide total to 1,152,995 since the pandemic began.
The 53 additional deaths bring the state to 19,739 deaths during the pandemic.
In the last 24 hours, state laboratories have reported 82,885 new specimens for testing. The state’s seven-day rolling positivity rate for all COVID tests stayed at 3.3%, the same from the day before, as did the positivity rate on individuals tested, still sitting at 4%.
Tuesday saw 62,923 doses administered, IDPH said, noting that the state is on track to have administered more than 1.5 million doses of the vaccine by Thursday.
Read more on the latest state metrics here.
More Than 100 New COVID Vaccination Locations Open in Illinois
The state of Illinois has added more than 100 new COVID-19 vaccination sites in the last week, according to a news release from state health officials Wednesday.
Since Feb. 4, the state said it has added 22 local health department, medical center and hospital locations, along with two new mass vaccination sites and 110 retail pharmacy stores, including Walmart and Meijer locations.
For a complete look at where and how you can make an appointment in Illinois or where you can receive vaccine information for your area, click here.
The added locations bring Illinois' total vaccination sites to 517.
Here's a look at the newly-added locations.
Chicago's Top Doctor to Discuss Updates to City's COVID-19 Response, Reopening Plan
Chicago's top doctor is scheduled to address updates to the city's reopening plan and COVID-19 response Wednesday afternoon.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady and Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. from City Hall, according to CDPH.
The two will "discuss the latest developments in the City’s reopening plans and provide updates on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic," officials said.
The event can be watched live in the video player above.
Pritzker to Tour Adams County Vaccination Site
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to tour a COVID-19 vaccination site in Adams County on Wednesday.
He's scheduled to join local officials at 10 a.m. to tour the site at Oakley Lindsay Center, located at 300 Civic Center Plaza in Quincy, according to his public schedule.
The event can be watched live in the video player above.
CTU Approves Deal With CPS on Return to In-Person Learning: Here's What the Plan Includes
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union approved a deal with Chicago Public Schools to return to in-person learning, the union announced early Wednesday.
The CTU said said 13,681 union members voted in favor of the proposal, representing 67.5% of the ballots cast, with another 6,585 members voting against the deal, which brings some teachers and students back to classrooms as early as Thursday.
The agreement was reached on Sunday after weeks of contentious negotiations.
CPS and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Sunday that the schedule for teachers and students to return is as follows:
| Group/Grade | Staff Start Date | Student Start Date |
| Pre-K & Students in intensive and moderate cluster classrooms | February 11 | February 11 |
| Kindergarten—Grade 5 | February 22 | March 1 |
| Grade 6—Grade 8 | March 1 | March 8 |
CPS said about 20% of students have opted for a return to in-person learning, with 80% continuing with remote learning for the time being. The district said Sunday that families who chose to continue remote learning will have another opportunity to return to schools before the start of the fourth quarter that begins in April.
Phase 1C of COVID-19 Vaccinations Could Be Pushed Back, Arwady Says
As Chicago awaits more doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the city's top doctor said Tuesday that the next phase of vaccinations could be pushed back.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city needs to see a significant increase in vaccine doses from the federal government in order to move into Phase 1C as previously announced.
"If we don't get significantly more vaccine, like we're anticipating, it's possible we could have to push the date for 1C back," Arwady said. "At this point we're sort of going with a projection that there will be quite a bit more vaccine."
Chicago was originally planning to move into Phase 1C on March 29, followed by the entry of Phase 2 on May 31. Phase 1C includes all essential workers not covered in earlier phases, as well as Chicagoans between the ages of 16 and 64 who have underlying medical conditions, Arwady said.
"Looking ahead to Phase 2, which is really when a vaccine is available to all Chicagoans, we're tentatively saying that might begin May 31, the end of May. All of these numbers for Phase 1C and Phase 2 is subject to change but just to give people a high level sense of what we're thinking," Arwady said.
As of Tuesday, Chicago was receiving 6,000 first doses of the vaccine per day, though there are more than 700,000 Chicagoans eligible for vaccinations in Phase 1B, according to Arwady.
DuPage County Aims to Deliver 5,000 COVID Vaccines a Week at Fairgrounds Site
As the DuPage County Health Department’s community vaccination clinic relocates to the county fairgrounds in suburban Wheaton, many residents of the area hope that the move will help make the COVID-19 vaccine more accessible to a wider swath of people.
According to the DCHD, more than 100,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered to residents, and 2.88% of its residents have received both doses of the vaccine. Those numbers lead all the collar counties surrounding Chicago, according to DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin.
Even still, Cronin says that he understands why residents are frustrated that they haven’t been able to get the treatment yet, blaming supply issues.
“If you are frustrated or afraid, wondering when or how you’ll be vaccinated, I want you to know your DuPage County leaders are working furiously to bring more vaccine to this county and get you vaccinated as fast as we possibly can,” he said.
To help achieve that goal, county health officials are transforming the fairgrounds into the area’s main vaccine clinic, with the goal of vaccinating 5,000 people per week if supply allows. The move is endorsed by political leaders in the area, including Rep. Lauren Underwood.
Chicago's Top Doc Says People Trying to ‘Game the System' for COVID Vaccines
It appears some people are trying to "game the system" for coronavirus vaccinations in Chicago, and the city's top doctor has a message for those who attempt to do so: don't.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said this week that people have tried to jump ahead in line by lying about their employment status or residency, or even sharing their codes for a second dose with loved ones to try and get the vaccine early.
"If you feel like, 'Oh, I found a secret way to get this like a message board or something, all you are doing is creating extra work for the health department or for the people who are trying to get vaccine who need to make sure people can get the second doses on time," Arwady said in Facebook Live address Tuesday. "The great majority of people have been doing exactly the right thing, but I'll be honest with you, I know there's a lot of demand for vaccine. We do require people to certify that they are eligible. We count on people to be honest when they are doing that, and then we count on people to not try to inappropriately sort of share some of those opportunities."
Among one of the big challenges Arwady said the city is facing when it comes to vaccine rollout is people sharing QR codes they receive in order to get their second dose of the vaccine.
In addition to code sharing, Arwady said there's also concern about people who say they are Chicago residents, but aren't, or who claim they are eligible for the vaccine but aren't. She noted the city is discussing the possibility that people may need to bring in a piece of mail or something to prove residency in some cases, though no decisions have been made.
2,082 New Cases, 20 Deaths, 58K Vaccinations Reported Tuesday
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported just over 2,000 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, with 20 additional deaths attributed to the virus and more than 58,000 doses of the vaccine administered the day before.
According to the latest IDPH data, 2,082 cases have been reported over the last 24 hours. Those new cases bring the statewide total to 1,150,170 since the pandemic began.
The 20 additional deaths bring the state to 19,686 deaths during the pandemic.
In the last 24 hours, state laboratories have received 55,705 new specimens for testing. The state’s seven-day rolling positivity rate for all COVID tests stayed at 3.3%, the same from the day before, while the positivity rate on individuals tested dropped slightly to 4% from 4.1% the day before.
There are currently 2,117 individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Illinois, with 497 of those patients in intensive care units and 240 patients currently on ventilators.
According to IDPH data, a total of 1,638,125 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois and Chicago, with another 496,100 doses allocated to the federal government’s program to aid long-term care facilities in vaccinating staff and patients. That brings the total number of doses sent to Illinois to 2,134,225.
Of those doses, 1,417,156 have been administered statewide, including 216,522 at long-term care facilities. Tuesday saw 58,189 doses administered, IDPH said, noting that that figure was nearly twice what it was one week earlier.
Chicago Travel Order Updated: 46 States Now on List Requiring Quarantine or Negative Test
Chicago updated its emergency travel order on Tuesday, now including 46 U.S. states and one territory in the orange tier that requires either a 10-day quarantine or negative COVID-19 test before arrival in the city.
Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota and Puerto Rico were moved to the yellow tier Tuesday, which does not require quarantine or a pre-arrival coronavirus test but remains under an advisory to avoid non-essential travel, the Chicago Department of Public Health said.
All 46 other states and the District of Columbia remain in the orange tier. Updates to the order are issued every other Tuesday and take effect the following Friday.
"Though the Chicago case numbers have dropped of late, this is not a time to let our guard down," CDPH said in a statement. "To maintain the current trajectory, we must double down on what we know prevents COVID spread. This includes wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, washing your hands and staying at home as much as you can. Chicago residents are strongly advised to cancel non-essential travel."
Walgreens, Uber Partner to Offer Free Rides to COVID Vaccine Appointments
Walgreens and Uber Technologies are joining together in a new partnership to give free rides to coronavirus vaccine appointments in underserved communities, the Illinois-based pharmacy chain announced Tuesday.
The new initiative will roll out over the coming months with pilot programs launching in several U.S. cities, including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso.
Though no exact dates were given, the companies said they plan to offer free transportation to Walgreens stores and vaccine clinics.
Patients who make an appointment will receive an email "extending the offer to schedule a ride."
Read more here.
Chicago May Increase Indoor Dining Capacity in Time for Valentine's Day Weekend
Calling Valentine's Day weekend "one of the few bright spots for the restaurant industry," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot revealed Monday the city is considering expanding indoor dining capacity with the holiday weekend around the corner.
The city entered Phase 4 of Illinois' coronavirus mitigations on Sunday, Jan. 31, which according to state guidelines, permitted indoor dining capacity to increase. Even as restrictions were relaxed overall, Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health decided not to increase the capacity limit, which remains the lesser of 25% or 25 persons per room.
Explaining their decision, health officials said it is "standard public health practice" to monitor the impact of any significant mitigation change for a minimum of two weeks.
Sunday, Feb. 14 marks two weeks since Chicago entered Phase 4 mitigations. Partial indoor dining resumed in the city on Jan. 23, when the city reached the threshold to move under Tier 1 restrictions.
For a complete look at ways you can make an appointment or where you can receive vaccine information for your area, click here.
