Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 745 cases, 6 deaths; Mayor Lightfoot gives update
Mayor says Lollapalooza will still take place next week
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 745 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and six related deaths Tuesday.
There have been 1,403,508 total COVID cases, including 23,383 deaths in the state since the pandemic began.
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from July 13-20 is at 2.9%.
Chicago COVID vaccine map shows how many residents vaccinated by zip code
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 21,596 specimens for a total of 26,411,240 since the pandemic began.
WATCH: Doctor weighs in on children wearing masks
As of Monday night, 601 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 116 patients were in the ICU and 43 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Illinois COVID vaccine map shows how many residents vaccinated by county
A total of 12,987,990 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of Monday. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 19,569. There were 18,491 vaccines administered in Illinois Monday.
Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the city is concerned about the rising number of COVID cases due tot he Delta variant. CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city is now seeing an average of 90 new cases a day with a positivity rate of 1.5%.
"If we allow the virus to continue linger here in Chicago, we will likely see further mutations, some of which our current vaccines may not be able to protect against and have to re-enforce some of the restrictions that have come to infamously define much of 2020 and part of 2021," Mayor Lightfoot said.
The mayor urged Chicagoans to get vaccinated against COVID. She also issued a reminder for those planning to attend Lollapalooza to follow the festival's requirements and have proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test.
As positivity rates rise across the nation, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidance recommending every student over the age of 2 wear face masks in school for in person learning. Earlier this summer, the CDC said fully vaccinated teachers and students would not need to mask.
"They are recommending it for everyone because it's going to be hard to make sure everyone has gotten the vaccine that is eligible," said Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent of Lurie Children's Hospital.
Several school districts in Illinois have decided to make masking optional, even though the vaccine is not yet available for children under 12.
Vaccine trials for children are ongoing, and doctors hope vaccines will be available for children ages 6 to 12 by late fall and for children under 6 by winter.
As the more contagious delta COVID variant surges nationwide, Los Angeles County has reinstated its indoor mask mandate. Illinois and Chicago health officials have not yet made plans to mandate masks, at least not yet, as cases here remain relatively low.
"I'm not worried about having to do major sort of shutdowns and lockdowns, because we have an effective vaccine, but I'm worried about the individuals who choose not to take advantage of that," said CPDH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
Just over 51% of all Chicago residents are fully vaccinated; the state of Illinois is slightly below that. Nationwide, only 48.6% of the population is fully vaccinated.
"If we don't get a significant proportion of these recalcitrant people vaccinated, you're going to see a smoldering outbreak in our country for a considerable period of time," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
Chicago Public Schools has given parents until July 26 to get their kids aged 12 and older their shots in order to be fully vaccinated by the first day of school.
