Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 258 cases, 8 deaths

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois public health officials reported 258 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 8 related deaths Wednesday.

There have been 1,389,892 total COVID cases, including 23,173 deaths in the state since the pandemic began.

Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 43,928 specimens for a total of 25,535,634 since the pandemic began.

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The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from June 17 to June 23, is 0.9%.

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As of Tuesday night, 492 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those,114 patients were in the ICU and 51 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

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A total of 12,288,242 vaccines have been administered in Illinois since Tuesday. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 31,164. There were 27,737 vaccines administered in Illinois Tuesday.

A CDC panel has found a "likely association" between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines with a rare, temporary and mostly mild heart inflammation in people under 30.

The cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were found in 323 individuals out of more than 26 million doses given to young people.

Symptoms include shortness of breath and chest pain.

"Which seems very, very concerning at first, but everyone takes a look and says let's give you a little ibuprofen," said Dr. Emily Landon, University of Chicago Medicine. "They give them a little aspirin and ibuprofen, and they feel much, much better and resolve within a day or two."

The cases occurred within about a week after the second dose, most commonly in younger males. Noah Hilers, 16, had to be hospitalized but his chest pain went away within hours.

"As far as we know, there's zero long term effects from this, so 100 percent would still get the vaccine," he said.

In fact, more serious heart problems can result from COVID infection.