Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Mar 29, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

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To address new spike, Illinois expands eligibility and vaccines in targeted areas - Ezike warns state can’t move forward “if our metrics are going backward” - 3,002 new confirmed and probable cases; 33 additional deaths; 1,302 hospitalized; 264 in ICU; 2.9 percent average test positivity rate; 3.3 percent average case positivity rate; 99,449 average daily doses

Friday, Mar 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Press release…

Illinois Taking Aggressive Action to Address First Signs of Possible Resurgence

IDPH Authorizes Local Health Departments with Low Demand to Vaccinate Residents 16+ as Federal Projections Show State Expected to Receive 1 Million Doses Next Week

Rapid Response Vaccination Teams to Deploy to Areas Seeing Upticks to Accelerate Vaccine Administration

State Hasn’t Met Metrics for Bridge Phase Reopening as Hospitalizations and Cases Increase in Chicago, Cook County, and Region 1 (Rockford area)

To address a concerning possible trend in increasing COVID hospitalizations and case rates, the State of Illinois is launching Rapid Response Vaccination Teams to five counties and expanding vaccine eligibility where demand appears to have waned.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has seen vaccine demand slow in several counties throughout the state, with early signs of unfilled appointments and increased vaccine inventory. IDPH is authorizing those communities to begin vaccinating all residents 16 and older at their immediate discretion, in order to use the vaccine doses they currently have available.

“Recent increases in hospital admissions and test positivity are concerning new developments and we don’t want to go down the same path we’ve seen before and experience a resurgence in the pandemic, which is why Governor Pritzker directed us to use all our resources to halt these upticks,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. “We cannot move forward if our metrics are going backward. The vaccine will help get us to the end of the pandemic, but we need to continue to reduce spread of the virus by wearing a mask, avoiding large crowds, keeping six feet of distance, getting tested after seeing others, and getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Expanded Eligibility

The federal government is projecting that Illinois will receive nearly 1 million doses next week for distribution, an all-time high. Steady vaccination operations are the best tool to keep Illinois residents safe. Reductions in demand result in inventory that could be unused, and all inventory should be used as quickly as possible to protect residents.

Residents should contact their local health department to learn whether they have expanded eligibility.

“The number one goal for the state is to get as many people vaccinated, as quickly and safely as possible in order to stay ahead of variants,” Dr. Ezike said. “This shift is similar to what we saw when expanding vaccine eligibility from Phase 1B to Phase 1B+ where some parts of the state were ready to move forward, while others were not. Each county is different and local health departments know better how to vaccinate people in their communities as soon as and as equitably as possible.”

While all communities will continue to receive their baseline allocation of doses, new doses above that baseline will be allocated to high-demand areas where at-risk eligible residents face long waits for appointments.

Rapid Response Vaccination Teams

To bend the trend in a region seeing increased vulnerability and protect vulnerable residents, several teams are being deployed for rapid operations.

Mobile rapid response vaccination teams will deploy over the next two weeks in five counties in Region 1 where IDPH epidemiologists have determined there is a need to administer doses quickly to blunt increasing trends. These doses are on top of the allocation to the local health departments. These mobile teams will be providing single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to county residents. Appointments will be coordinated by the local health department.

Residents of Region 1 are also encouraged to visit the existing mass vaccination site set up in Winnebago County.

Bridge Phase Update

Since March 8, Illinois has seen 10 days of increases in the seven-day rolling average for hospital admissions. The COVID-19 test positivity on March 10 was 2.5%. Today’s reported test positivity is 3.3%. While these rates are certainly significantly lower than the peak, they represent a potential early warning sign about a possible resurgence.

Chicago has seen its daily case rate increase by nearly 50% since last week, along with six days of increases in test positivity. Suburban Cook County has seen its daily case rate increase more than 40%, along with nine days of increasing hospital bed usage. Region 1, the Northern portion of the state including Rockford and surrounding communities, has seen eight days of increasing hospital bed usage and six days of increasing test positivity.

To advance into the Bridge Phase that is the final step before the full reopening, the entire state must achieve several metrics:

• 70% of residents 65 years and older must have received a first dose;
• Hospitals must maintain 20% or greater ICU bed availability;
• Hospitalizations for COVID-19, admissions for COVID-like illness and deaths must hold steady or decline over a 28-day monitoring period.

As outlined in the March 18 update to the Restore Illinois plan, IDPH will evaluate statewide performance against the metrics by looking back at the data from the preceding 28 days.

While Illinois is on pace to reach 70% first doses for residents 65 years and older in the coming days, IDPH is monitoring an increase in new hospital admissions for COVID, which will need to be appropriately addressed and resolved before moving into the Bridge Phase. IDPH epidemiologists will continue to focus on the most recent 10 days to monitor any acute trends that prevent the state from reaching the Bridge Phase.

Statewide reopening metrics can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/statewidemetrics.

Information regarding vaccination locations as well as details on how to book an appointment to receive the vaccine can be found at the state’s COVID website, coronavirus.illinois.gov. Residents who don’t have access to or need assistance navigating online services can call the toll-free IDPH hotline at 833-621-1284 to book an appointment. The hotline is open 7 days a week from 6am to midnight with agents available in English and Spanish.

* Press release…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 3,002 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 33 additional deaths.

- Cook County: 1 teen, 1 male 40s, 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 70s, 3 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Johnson County: 1 male 60s
- Kane County: 1 male 70s
- Lake County: 1 male 60s
- LaSalle County: 1 male 70s
- Lee County: 1 male 60s
- Macoupin County: 1 female 60s
- Madison County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 female 90s
- Marshall County: 1 female 30s
- McLean County: 1 male 90s
- Peoria County: 1 male 60s
- Sangamon County: 1 male 80s
- St. Clair County: 2 males 60s, 2 females 80s
- Will County: 1 male 70s

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 1,232,900 cases, including 21,203 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 76,774 specimens for a total of 19,972,391. As of last night, 1,302 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 264 patients were in the ICU and 120 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 19-25, 2021 is 2.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 19-25, 2021 is 3.3%.

A total of doses of 6,146,815 vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago. In addition, approximately 414,900 doses total have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 6,561,715. A total of 5,281,618 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight, including 364,302 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 99,449 doses. Yesterday, 126,710 doses were reported administered in Illinois.

*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.

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Bailey literally laughs off concerns about disabled voters

Friday, Mar 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* We’ve already talked about this WCIA report…

Republican state senator Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) won praise from several of his social media followers for proposing the state transition to “paper ballots only,” with many of them voicing distrust in the security of elections. […]

Illinois already requires election officials to keep a permanent paper record of every ballot. While most voters use paper ballots, there are some exceptions where voters use technological assistance to pick their preferred candidates.

“There are some where they do use touchscreens, but that produces a paper receipt,” Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich explained. “There is a paper record for every single vote that’s cast in Illinois. Not all of them are with pen on paper, and I don’t know how that would work, because disabled people need to use screens.

“There are people who cannot write on a paper ballot,” he said. “Visually impaired people can use audio cues to guide them through a ballot on a touch screen. That wouldn’t be possible under this bill.”

* Sen. Bailey was on Tom Miller’s WJPF show yesterday and discussed the topic…

Interestingly enough, Springfield Democrats come and the biggest problem that they have with this, the biggest [laughs], the biggest gripe is that disabled people will not be able to vote.

* I’ve isolated his comment and included Miller’s (no relation) harsh response…

rich-miller · Baileytom

Tom is usually an even-keeled sort of guy. I’ve never heard him go off on a guest like that.

…Adding… Some folks think Tom was agreeing with Bailey. OK, upon further review I can see the point, but let’s try to stay on topic here.

* Meanwhile, from the rather weird news network OAN…

Illinois state Rep. Chris Miller (R) has become the latest target of cancel culture from the left after he argued securing U.S. elections would be the best way to ensure our elected leaders are not bullying their way into office and abusing their power.

One America’s Christina Bobb has more.

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*** UPDATED x1 *** Moody’s revises its Illinois outlook from “negative” to “stable”

Friday, Mar 26, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Yvette Shields at the Bond Buyer…

Illinois moved another step back from the ratings brink Thursday afternoon, as Moody’s Investors Service revised the outlook to stable from negative on its Baa3 rating, which was affirmed.

The action gives Illinois a bit of space above speculative-grade status, though the rating itself remains at the lowest investment grade.

S&P Global Ratings on March 9 moved the outlook to stable on its BBB-minus rating; Fitch Ratings remains at BBB-minus with a negative outlook.

* From Moody’s…

Moody’s Investors Service has revised the outlook of the state of Illinois to stable from negative, while affirming the Baa3 rating on the state’s general obligation bonds. […]

Affirmation of the state’s rating and the revision of its outlook to stable reflect the state’s financial performance through the pandemic, in combination with increased levels of federal support that will moderate near-term fiscal and economic pressure. State and local government funds expected under the latest federal aid package may help the state repay deficit financing loans, support its financially pressured local governments and spur employment, income and tax revenue growth. While credit risks raised by the pandemic during the past year are receding, the longer-term challenges associated with the state’s very large unfunded post-employment liabilities remain. The state’s Baa3 rating is supported by a large, diverse economy with above-average wealth, and it benefits from powers over revenue and spending. […]

RATING OUTLOOK

The stable outlook indicates the state’s capacity to manage near-term fiscal pressures while carrying a heavy long-term liability burden.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Enactment of recurring financial measures that support sustainable budget balance

- Decisive actions to improve funding of the state’s main pension plans

- Progress in lowering a backlog of unpaid bills that does not rely on either long-term borrowing or a significant decrease in non-operating fund liquidity

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Fiscal measures that greatly add to the state’s near- or long-term liabilities, including reductions in pension contributions to provide fiscal relief

- Large or persistent structural imbalance that leads to significant increase in the state’s unpaid bills or other liabilities

- Substantial assumption of debt or pension liabilities accrued by local governments

So, if the state can really tackle that bill backlog, a ratings increase may be in the cards. Never would’ve figured that could happen when this pandemic started.

*** UPDATE *** Comptroller Mendoza…

Moody’s Investors Service has changed its outlook on Illinois bonds from “negative” to “stable.” That’s a signal to investors that Illinois’ financial stability is moving in a better direction.

It follows S&P Global Ratings’ announcement March 9 that the rating agency was changing its outlook on Illinois bonds from “negative” to “stable.”

Moody’s cited “the state’s financial performance through the pandemic, in combination with increased levels of federal support that will moderate near-term fiscal and economic pressure.”

“Illinois still has a long way to go, but these two changes in outlook signal to investors that Illinois is heading in a better direction,” Illinois State Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza said. “The ratings agencies make clear that Illinois using its funds from the American Rescue Plan to pay down debt is the most responsible path forward for the state’s finances and the best way for the state to achieve an upgrade in its ratings.”