* Sun-Times…
Illinois’ COVID-19 infection rate hit its lowest point in two weeks Tuesday, boosting optimism that the state is tamping down its latest viral resurgence. […]
The positivity rate hit an all-time low of 2.1% in mid-March but shot up to 4.4% within a month, throwing off Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan and prompting officials to sound the alarm on a potential third wave of COVID-19 sweeping Illinois just as a historic vaccination effort gained steam.
The numbers have now trended in the right direction for eight straight days, including in Chicago, where the regional positivity rate has inched down to 5.5% after more than a month of troubling increases.
“Things are looking up a little bit,” city Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during an online Q+A. “Just over the last three to four days, we’ve seen stabilization or just a little decline. … That’s exactly what we want to see.”
* Tribune…
“In order to reopen, our plan requires Illinois to meet several metrics precisely because of the current situation: despite vaccinations increasing, too many have lowered their guard and we are closely monitoring our trajectory,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement. […]
Tuesday was the first day since Pritzker announced his reopening plan that the trend line of daily cases showed “no significant change” rather “increasing,” according to the Department of Public Health.
“We are cautiously optimistic that the day-to-day growth in cases and hospitalizations seems to be slowing in recent days,” Abudayyeh added.
Hospitalizations remain troublesome. As of Monday night, 2,288 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 522 patients in intensive care units and 223 patients on ventilators. The seven-day average of total hospitalizations is 2,126, the highest since an average of 2,156 was recorded Feb. 10.
* But not all is well…
Test positivity, COVID hospitalizations and deaths among Black Chicagoans remain high while vaccination rates among Black adults are half the city’s average, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at an event celebrating the mass vaccination site at Chicago State University on the city’s Southeast Side. The mayor called it a “disturbing trend,” and said in some places, only 12 or 15 percent of Black adults had received a shot.
“Black Chicagoans are once again getting sicker, requiring hospital care and dying more than any other demographic in our city,” she said, and while “we understand the trepidation, the fears and concerns… we need to send out the alarm, make sure Black South Siders understand you must get the vaccine, it is safe.”
The current test positivity for Black Chicagoans is 8.2 percent, according to the city’s COVID dashboard. For Latino Chicagoans it’s 9.4 percent, and for white Chicagoans it’s 4.5 percent. The city’s current average test positivity is 5.5 percent, down from 5.7 percent a week ago.
- Ed Equity - Tuesday, Apr 20, 21 @ 4:42 pm:
Trust in institutions is low. Police let the African American communities down daily. Schools let them down until only yesterday. Why would a vaccine be any different? We don’t have the time to restore all of those systems, but I can understand how many might feel they are all linked. Hopefully today’s verdict moves an inch toward restoring trust in the justice system. Ok, a centimeter.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Apr 20, 21 @ 5:23 pm:
it’s not just about this pandemic or pandemics. it is about health care delivery. we need to work to get people connected with a primary care physician at a hospital, even if that hospital is one they need to take an L to get to for routine appointments. if one has a pcp the trust and connection to needs are made easier. if the connection is with a large hospital, many locations for service are possible. it is not just about this healthcare crisis. it is about health care ongoing.