Illinois COVID-19 Update: IL reports 4,699 cases, 98 coronavirus deaths
Chicago area hospitals await Moderna COVID-19 vaccines
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois public health officials reported 4,699 COVID-19 cases and 98 related deaths Monday.
The total number of cases in Illinois now stands at 905,069, with a total of 15,299 deaths.
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Over a 24-hour period, officials said the state processed 86,454 specimens. In total there have been 12,520,979 specimens tested since the start of the pandemic in Illinois.
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The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Dec. 14-20 is 9.3%.
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.
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As of Sunday night, 4,460 people in Illinois were reported to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 981 patients were in the ICU with COVID-19 and 546 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shipments on their way to Illinois
A second line of defense is rolling into Chicago area hospitals as the newly authorized Moderna vaccine is already on trucks. According to the governor's office, 174,000 doses will be in Illinois hospitals before Christmas.
"It's always nice to hear that something is coming, but when you see it with your own eyes, I think it gave everybody a lift in their spirits," said Dr. Richard Freeman, chief medical officer at Loyola/
The first Moderna doses will arrive as hospitals drain their first round of the Pfizer vaccine on their most-exposed staff members.
More Pfizer shipments are also on the way, and some extra doses were found in the first batch as well.
"We're happy we were able to distribute some vaccine to first responders in the La Grange area, with whom we work closely and often welcome on our medical campus," said a spokesperson for AMITA Health.
Meanwhile five police officers in the west suburban town of Cicero already got the vaccine over the weekend. Officials there say they were given the vaccines that were about to expire from a local hospital.
"I was just looking to give the officers the first opportunity, 'cause I wasn't aware of how many they may have had us in, you know, since I already had COVID at the beginning of November, I figured, you know, I'd rather get the other guys who have not had an opportunity to get vaccinated," said Chief Chlada.
A panel recommended people over 75 and essential frontline workers like firefighters, police officers, teachers, postal workers and grocery store employees get vaccinated next, but ultimately, it will be up to the states to decide.
Now with two emergency authorized vaccines, healthcare worker will develop immunity as they treat patients from a post-holiday surge that could still come. A sign of that possibility: Loyola currently has 300 employees quarantined with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19.
The deaths reported Monday include:
-Bureau County: 1 male 90s
-Champaign County: 1 female 80s
-Cook County: 1 male 30s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 3 males 50s, 5 females 60s, 7 males 60s, 8 females 70s, 8 males 70s, 13 females 80s, 13 males 80s, 5 females 90s, 2 males 90s, 1 female over 100
-DuPage County: 1 male 70s, 2 males 90s
-Effingham County: 1 male 90s
-Hamilton County: 1 male 90s
-Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 90s
-Lake County: 1 male 60s, 2 female 90s
-LaSalle County: 1 female 70s
-Madison County: 2 males 70s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s
-Morgan County: 1 male 80s
-Rock Island County: 1 male 50s, 2 females 80s
-Stephenson County: 1 female 90s
-Tazewell County: 1 female 80s
-Washington County: 1 male 80s
-Will County: 2 males 80s, 1 male 90s
