Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 3,114 cases, 24 deaths
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 3,114 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 24 related deaths Thursday.
There have been 1,454,208 total COVID cases, including 23,575 deaths in the state since the pandemic began.
Illinois COVID vaccine map shows how many residents vaccinated by county
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Aug 4-11 is at 5.8%.
COVID Chicago: City's top doctor says 'no evidence' Lollapalooza 2021 a super-spreader event
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 71,820 specimens for a total of 27,536,684 since the pandemic began.
As of Wednesday night, 1,608 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 324 patients were in the ICU and 152 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
A total of 13,463,308 have been administered in Illinois as of Wednesday. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 27,611. On Wednesday, 51,811 vaccines were administered.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is launching a new immunization portal, Vax Verify, that will allow Illinois residents 18 years and older to check their COVID-19 vaccination record.
Vax Verify can be accessed at idphportal.illinois.gov.
Family of immunocompromised man who died from COVID after vaccine urge others to get booster shot
Now that the FDA has authorized COVID vaccine boosters shots for immunocompromised people, one family is urging them to get those shots as soon as possible.
Alan Sporn of Flossmoor didn't have a chance to get a booster shot, though his family said he'd have been the first in line. He died in March from COVID-19 a month after his second vaccine dose.
The 75-year-old grandfather of four had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. Despite being vaccinated, relatives say he had few antibodies.
"I think that a third booster would have definitely pushed up his immune system. His immunity was so low that it just didn't take," said his daughter Bonnie Sporn.
Expected to be first in line are transplant patients, people on chemotherapy, or on medications that suppress the immune system.
"Having the vaccine or the booster vaccine would definitely help me sleep at night knowing that I have a little more protection than I do right now," said Greg Kaufman of Lockport, who takes an immunosuppressant drug for Crohn's Disease.
For now, the general public will have to wait.
"This really is only directed at immunocompromised patients. It's not going to be directed at older adults," said Dr. Michael Ison, Northwestern Medicine.
