Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 5,955 new cases, 15 deaths

CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois reported 5,955 new COVID cases and 15 related deaths on Friday, marking the largest single-day increase in cases since Feb. 4.

There have been at least 3,138,682 total cases of COVID, including at least 33,614 related deaths in the state since the pandemic began.

SEE ALSO | Moderna seeks emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years

As of Thursday night, 732 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 75 patients were in the ICU and 32 COVID-19 patients were on ventilators.

As of Thursday, a total of 21,871,464 doses of vaccines have been administered in Illinois and 64.70% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 1,913.

On Friday, suburban Cook County moved to a “medium” level of risk for COVID transmission due to an increase in the number of positive cases, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Community Levels Framework defines “average” transmission as more than 200 cases per 100,000 residents, and as of Thursday, suburban Cook County is reporting 210 cases per per 100,000 residents in the past 7 days, health officials said.

Based on current CDC guidance, CCDPH recommends:

wearing a mask indoors to protect people at high risk of severe illness from COVID infection, including adults over 50 years of age, people with underlying medical conditions, and people who are immunocompromised,

socialize outdoors if possible and avoid poorly ventilated indoor environments,

get tested before attending a family or public event. Home tests are ideal for this purpose,

contact your doctor right away to get treatment for COVID if you are diagnosed, and

receiving any COVID-19 vaccine booster for which you are eligible.

In suburban Cook County, more than 1.9 million residents (86% of the population) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 1.5 million (65% are fully vaccinated, according to health officials) .

Chicago Public Schools leadership sent a letter to families Friday, saying in part, “CPS will continue to do everything we can to provide all students with the safe, in-person learning environment they need and deserve. You can do your part by carefully monitoring your family’s education. ensuring that all eligible members of his household receive their COVID vaccinations and boosters, and signing up her son for regular COVID-19 testing at school if he has not already done so “.

Since the pandemic began, three out of every 1,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.

In the past two years, more than 993,000 have died from the virus. People age 65 and older accounted for about 3/4 of those deaths.

CDC data also shows that COVID has been the third leading cause of death in the US in both 2020 and 2021.

Moderna’s request for FDA authorization for a COVID vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years could be a game changer for parents of the 18 million American children who are not yet vaccinated. The company has applied for emergency authorization for a two-dose vaccine, with injections four weeks apart.

Pediatricians say the data shows the Moderna vaccine is highly effective at keeping children from going to the hospital and dying. They say the side effects are no different from other pediatric vaccines

SEE ALSO | Prolonged COVID symptoms plague patients, but new studies could lead to treatments and relief

The seven-day average case rate was reported to be 24.6 cases per 100,000.