Illinois COVID-19 Update: IL reports 5,644 cases, 106 coronavirus deaths
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois public health officials reported 5,644 COVID-19 cases and 106 related deaths Tuesday.
The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 948,006, with a total of 16,179 deaths.
Find out how many people may get a COVID-19 vaccine before you
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 66,786 specimens for a total 13,103,444.
As of Monday night, 4,313 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 904 patients were in the ICU and 506 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
RELATED: Illinois coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area
The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Dec. 22 - 28 is 8.8%.
The test positivity rate is a metric the state began providing in late October. It is calculated by using the total number of positive tests over the total number of tests. This is the metric being used to by state health officials to make decisions about mitigations.
WATCH: Vaccines' impact may not be felt until spring, medical experts say
Nursing home residents and non-hospital healthcare workers are among those getting the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois now. However, the impact of the vaccinations may not have a positive impact on the daily COVID-19 numbers until spring, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"He doesn't think it would be before the end of the spring, you know, basically four to five months from now, but I have to tell you, our rollout is not going according to the pace we need it to go by. Just in two weeks, we've seen about two million Americans vaccinated," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News Chief Medical Contributor. "If you continue that rate, we're going to be in a lot of trouble. We need to ramp up the pace and get these vaccines to as many people as quickly as possible."
There are a relatively low count of COVID-19 cases in Illinois, but the number of people dying has been high for weeks.
"The success seen in the state of Illinois is absolutely where we should be going as a country, but when you look at the date rates, the clinical care of these most severely ill and critically ill patients with COVID-19 absolutely has gotten better. But it is still killing way too many people every single day, so we have to balance, you know, and not rest on our laurels. But for sure, what has been going in the state of Illinois is what more states in the country need to do, and that's going to involve a combination of factors. The vaccine being one, but those social mitigation, mask wearing also very, very important now more than ever when hospitals are at or near their capacity or breaking point," Dr. Ashton said.
Dr. Ashton also added that while there is limited data in medical literature, it appears that the chronic exposure of chemicals from e-cigarettes or vape can make someone with COIVD-19 more vulnerable. The presenting signs and symptoms of vaping-related lung injuries can mimic that of COVID-19, she added.
"So again, this is common sense here you guys. You don't want to do anything to your lungs that could predispose you or make you more vulnerable for a high-impact respiratory pathogen like SARS-CoV-2," Dr. Ashton said.
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The deaths reported Tuesday include:
- Adams County: 1 female 90s
- Bond County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Carroll County: 1 male 70s
- Christian County: 1 female 70s
- Clay County: 1 male 70s
- Cook County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 50s, 5 females 60s, 6 males 60s, 4 females 70s, 5 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 3 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 2 males 90s, 1 female 100+
- DeKalb County: 1 male 60s
- DuPage County: 3 males 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+
- Fulton County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s
- Grundy County: 1 female 80s
- Henry County: 1 male 80s
- Jackson County: 1 male 70s
- Jefferson County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 male 90s
- Lake County: 1 male 70s, 2 males 80s
- Logan County: 1 female 80s
- Madison County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Marion County: 1 male 80s
- Mason County: 1 male 60s
- McHenry County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 100+
- McLean County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Monroe County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 90s
- Moultrie County: 1 female 60s
- Peoria County: 1 male 20s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Perry County: 1 female 80s
- Pike County: 1 female 80s
- Pulaski County: 1 male 60s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 90s
- Saline County: 1 female 90s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- St. Clair County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s
- Vermilion County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 80s
- Warren County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s
- Washington County: 1 female 90s
- Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Winnebago County: 1 female 40s, 2 females 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 90s
- Woodford County: 1 male 80s
