Note: Any news conferences from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot or other officials will be streamed in the video player above.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic across the state of Illinois today, Jan. 3:
Illinois Reports 4,469 New Cases of Coronavirus, 81 Additional Deaths Sunday
Illinois health officials reported 4,469 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, along with 81 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the latest figures available from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Sunday’s new cases bring the state to 979,821 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020.
The 81 additional deaths Sunday bring the state to 16,755 during the pandemic, with another 1,567 fatalities listed as “probable COVID-19” deaths, according to state figures.
‘We Need More:' Lightfoot Blasts COVID Vaccine Rollout, Says City Has Used 95% of Doses
News
As concerns grow over the slow rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in the United States, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is criticizing the federal government, saying that it could take more than a year to administer the vaccine to all city residents at the current pace of dose shipments.
In a social media post Saturday, Lightfoot said that the city’s health department has administered more than 95% of the vaccine doses it has received so far from the federal government.
In the tweet, Lightfoot said that at the current rate of dose allocation, it would take 71 weeks to fully vaccinate all city residents.
“We need more vaccine. Now,” she said.
Illinois Residents Head to Indiana's Eateries to Dine Inside
Some Illinois residents fed up with their state's second ban on indoor dining amid the pandemic are heading to restaurants in adjacent Indiana so they can dine out with others.
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Illinois' second indoor dining ban in October due to surging COVID-19 numbers, many restauranteurs hoped the restrictions would be short-lived.
Three months later, restaurants in Illinois towns like Calumet City and Lansing that border northwest Indiana say they are seeing customers lured away by Indiana eateries not subject to the same restrictions, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.
‘It Was That Quick': Teen Died 3 Days After Being Hospitalized With COVID-19, Mom Says
A Tinley Park mom says her daughter died just three days after the otherwise healthy teen was hospitalized with coronavirus just before Christmas.
Sarah Simental, a Lincoln-Way East senior who just turned 18 last month, first reported a minor headache on Dec. 16, her mother Deborah Simental said. The next day, she began feeling congested and had a sore throat.
Outside of her home, Simental had only seen her boyfriend prior to experiencing symptoms, her mother said.
On Friday, her symptoms continued as she developed a fever, chills and vomiting.
Saturday morning, her mother took her to get a coronavirus test and that evening her results came back positive. By the following Wednesday, she was hospitalized, and her oxygen levels dropped, forcing her to be taken to the ICU unit.
