A few COVID-19 updates
Friday, Mar 18, 2022 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Cases are down 12 percent from last week, test positivity remains the same, hospitalizations fell by 22 percent, ICU usage declined by 18.5 percent, ventilator usage fell by 31 percent, deaths are down 17.5 percent…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 7,467 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 123 deaths since March 11, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,053,185 cases, including 33,198 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since March 11, 2022, laboratories have reported 596,385 specimens for a total of 56,328,379. As of last night, 528 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 88 patients were in the ICU and 35 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 11-17, 2022 is 1.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 11-17, 2022 is 1.2%.
A total of 21,273,924 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 8,104 doses. Since March 11, 2022, 56,726 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 68% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 49% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
The average daily dose rate also continues its spiral, down 15 percent from last week’s average.
* ABC 7…
More than 250 city employees across several departments are asking a downstate judge to block Chicago’s vaccine requirement.
The motion is the latest chapter in the ongoing fight over the mandate. The request for a temporary restraining order was filed by Tom DeVore, the same attorney who used the same downstate court to grant a restraining order against the state of Illinois’ school mask mandate.
ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer pointed out that previous efforts by Chicago police and firefighters have failed, and said the city still has a lot of authority to deal with a situation like COVID.
“Since this is not an order that applies to all citizens of the city or the state, but to employees of the city, the courts are inclined to say the city has the right to condition further employment by its employees on their willingness to have this vaccine,” he said.
* Gov. Pritzker was named in the lawsuit and was asked about the legal maneuver today…
There’s so little that I can say about these lawsuits that have been filed, the vast majority of which have failed. The ones that where judges have ruled temporarily in favor of the plaintiff go to appellate court, get overturned. So, I don’t believe that any of this will be upheld, that is that these lawsuits will stand. There are people that wanted to tear down the system of mitigations that we’ve put in place since the very beginning. They’re continuing to do it today. They were wrong then and they’re wrong now.
* Related…
* America’s Flu-Shot Problem Is Also Its Next COVID-Shot Problem: Flu is highly contagious and highly dangerous, a staggering burden on public health; and for years and years and years, Americans, even those trained in disease control and prevention, have almost entirely ceased to care. Vaccines capable of curbing flu’s annual toll have existed since the 1940s. Close to a century later, some 50 to 60 percent of Americans adults still do not bother with the yearly shot. The crux of the uptake shortfall “is this normalization of death,” Poland told me. He predicts this pattern will play on repeat, and at higher volume, with SARS-CoV-2—another devastating respiratory virus that’s tough to durably thwart with shots.
* America Is Zooming Through the Pandemic Panic-Neglect Cycle: Third, many of the measures that would make a difference against COVID—better ventilation, paid sick leave, equitable health care, a stronger public-health infrastructure—would also protect people from other diseases and health problems. In this respect, even the $15 billion that the White House asked for (and now won’t get) is insufficient. And to consider such money as “COVID funding” is part of the problem—a misguided approach of tackling health problems one by one, instead of fixing the inequities that underlie them all.
- JS Mill - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 1:38 pm:
=More than 250 city employees across several departments are asking a downstate judge to block Chicago’s vaccine requirement.=
Ummm, that judge can rule however they want, they have zero jurisdiction in this case.
Devore should be disbarred.
- Club J - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 1:41 pm:
Well at 250 employees that’s a fast $125,000 while on vacation. I wonder if this lawsuit included Judge Tim Evans who he posted a memo from one of his employees about is vaccination policy. DeVore was going after the Judge for not knowing the law.
- Stu - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 1:42 pm:
Should finally get below 500 hospitalized in the next few days. Only about a month later than forecast.
- Pundent - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 1:46 pm:
Covid continues to remind us that arbitrary deadlines and proclamations surrounding the end of the pandemic are meaningless. Hopefully the impacts of the subvariant are manageable. But our vaccinated (and boosted) percentages suggest that may not be the case. And as long as there are Tom Devore’s in this world, that will likely continue.
- TheInvisibleMan - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 1:57 pm:
“America’s Flu-Shot Problem Is Also Its Next COVID-Shot Problem”
And we haven’t even gotten to the atrocious numbers for the other childhood vaccines yet.
== Vaccines capable of curbing flu’s annual toll have existed since the 1940s. ==
Darren Bailey has these specific things in mind when he specifically says he wants to go back to 1932.
pertussis outbreaks in infants are terrible things.
- Amalia - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:00 pm:
Dr. Peter Hoetez of Baylor has emphasized that the anti vax problem with this pandemic is a greater issue of anti vaxxers whom he calls terrorists. when there is a solution, why not address the problem? I cannot understand the small but persistent undercurrent of the anti group in law enforcement.
- Trying to be Rational - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:06 pm:
“Terrorist” is an overused word today.
- Trying to be Rational - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:08 pm:
According to the CDC, the flu shot this year was “very ineffective,” reducing the flu only 16%.
- DuPage - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:12 pm:
Is the new variant covered by the same shots and boosters? TV news said it is more transmissible, but they did not say if it had any other differences.
- NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:19 pm:
Not to nitpick but in most of the downstate regions as well as in the City of Chicago, the ICU availablity is still dangerously close to or below 20 percent.
Would be interesting to see the stats after St. Patricks Day and this coming weekend.
- Pundent - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:26 pm:
=Is the new variant covered by the same shots and boosters?=
I was advised earlier in the day that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines continue to be effective in protecting against the new variant. Vaccines used outside of the US, and in particularly Asian countries, have proven to be less effective which is why, in part, cases are climbing rapidly in other parts of the world.
But the fact remains that roughly 65% of the US population is vaccinated and the boosted population is around 25%. This suggests that there are a large number of vulnerable people in this country.
- Norseman - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:29 pm:
What number surge will be the next one? Our society has quit on COVID mitigations, but COVID is not done with our selfish society. The deaths will continue.
- Dan Johnson - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:39 pm:
It reminds me of people who live in hurricane zones that defy evacuation orders. They say they just want to ride it out.
- blue collar worker retired - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:47 pm:
regarding TANF increases. who is gonna pay for this. If you don’t have the money, don’t spend it
- Ron Burgundy - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 2:55 pm:
-Ummm, that judge can rule however they want, they have zero jurisdiction in this case.
Devore should be disbarred.-
Must as I would love that result, Sangamon County courts have jurisdiction over COVID mandate cases from all over the state because the IL Supreme Court exercised its authority to move them all there. As much as I can criticize Devore, that court is an appropriate venue because of the subject matter, regardless of the fact that the issue concerns Chicago.
- illinifan - Friday, Mar 18, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
DuPage, since it is a new variant studies need to be done. One of the challenges of chasing a constantly mutating virus. Preliminary reports are the vaccine should prevent serious illness and hospitalization which is the goal of a vaccine. The ship has sailed on being able to wipe this virus out so we will live with new variations like the flu constantly changes.