* Sun-Times…
For the first time in nearly 16 months, Illinois has gone a full day without losing a resident to COVID-19.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported no new COVID-19 fatalities Monday, which hadn’t happened previously since March 16, 2020 — a few days before Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered residents to stay inside their homes as much as possible to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
It’s still possible one or more fatalities could eventually be added to the rare zero-total. Officials often adjust daily figures based on delayed reports from hospitals, especially after a holiday.
And the grief is far from over. The state reported 11 deaths over the weekend, and another 16 Tuesday.
But for now, the end of a miserable 476-day stretch with viral deaths is the latest sign of optimism for a state slowly emerging from the pandemic.
* But…
In the U.S., Illinois’ neighbor to the west, Missouri, is currently seeing the highest per-capita COVID infection rates in the nation, driven by that Delta variant. And Illinois’ three EMS regions that border Missouri are seeing an uptick in test positivity as well.
The Metro East’s 7-day average test positivity rate reached 5.1% as of June 3, the latest date made available by IDPH. The region’s test positivity rate has been climbing for two weeks, and has now reached positivity rates it hasn’t experienced since February. In contrast, the city of Chicago’s 7-day average COVID test positivity rate currently stands at 0.5%, after reaching a low of 0.3% early last week.
The Southern Illinois and West Central Illinois regions have also seen sharp rises in their COVID test positivity rates in the last week.
Counties with some of the lowest vaccination rates are in those three regions — especially Alexander County, which has lagged behind the rest of the state since vaccines began rolling out in December. Only 14.6% of Alexander County’s residents of all ages are fully vaccinated, compared with the entire state’s 48.9% vaccination rate.
Get your shots, people.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 5:11 am:
I wonder how much of the resurgence in the Western Bloc has to do with that recent Crossing church camp outbreak near Rushville? Interestingly, Schuyler County is only at 0.4% positivity, but Adams is 6.5, Brown is 7.4, Cass is 12.5, Hancock 10.2, and 7.7% in Morgan County. And they’re Region 2, but elsewhere in the Western Bloc McDonough County is 11.3%. I wonder how much the church camp played into those high rates in those counties. (and FWIW, 1.3% here in Sangamon County).
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=3
Also Journal-Courier article on the latest outbreak in Morgan County: https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Morgan-confirms-second-virus-outbreak-16297531.php
- WLDS News - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 5:30 am:
There was a death in the state yesterday. We reported 1 in Morgan County at a long term care facility. It was one hit by a recent outbreak linked back to the Crossing Camp in Schuyler County from last week.
July 4th IDPH reporting hasn’t caught up yet. Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade, but this report by the AP was a bit premature.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 6:43 am:
Dear - WLDS News -
===It’s still possible one or more fatalities could eventually be added to the rare zero-total. Officials often adjust daily figures based on delayed reports from hospitals, especially after a holiday.===
Reading is fundamental.
- WLDS News - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 8:31 am:
OW -
“July 4th IDPH reporting hasn’t caught up yet.”
Can’t see what we missed…other than people being overly optimistic.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 8:35 am:
=== Can’t see what we missed…other than people being overly optimistic.===
Hmm..
=== Sorry to rain on everyone’s parade, but…===
Are you cheering for the virus and infections or “updating” factual information?
Probably why I commented at all.
- Dirty Red - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 9:51 am:
Please remember kids too young for a vaccine. Most of them will be returning to school in-person next month while this variant, and others, are out there.
k thnx
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 12:05 pm:
And yet Downtown Springfield Inc is deciding to still resume downtown street festivals, including last weekend’s Legacy of Giving festival. Let alone the State Fair starting next month. All of this 60 miles east of the Crossing church camp and one county away from two of the most hard-hit counties from the camp’s outbreak. Still too soon in my opinion to have large scale public events attracting tens of thousands of people, even outside.
- Huh? - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:07 pm:
I wear a mask whenever I go into a store. Am vaxxed and months beyond my second shot. Don’t want to be an asymptomatic delta spreader.
- thisjustinagain - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:17 pm:
As Rich said “Get your shots, people”.
And keep social distancing and wearing masks. We’re not done fighting Covid, people. We rushed the returning to normal with less than herd immunity nationally and regionally. I’m in a suburban area just south of Chicago with no towns at even 50% of population with completed shot(s). Tell me again how I can take my mask off and stand in crowded places like “normal” again while most of the local population is unvaccinated….
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:38 pm:
=== deciding to still resume downtown street festivals===
Um, the festivals are *outside*
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:46 pm:
==Um, the festivals are *outside*==
Yes, I meant to clarify earlier that the festivals are outside but still too early IMO to start resuming the massive street festivals and large scale outdoor events where tens of thousands of people could be present at once, with no social distancing and little mask wearing, if any.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:47 pm:
===where tens of thousands of people===
LOL
I was at that festival Friday and Saturday. Nowhere near that many people. lol
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jul 7, 21 @ 1:48 pm:
=== and large scale outdoor events where tens of thousands of people could be present at once, with no social distancing and little mask wearing, if any.===
Wrigley and Comiskey seem to be doing just that… daily.
Not only that… sitting… 2-3 hours at a time… next to folks