* We’re seeing a 24.1 percent decrease in hospitalizations since last Friday, a 20.9 percent decrease in ICU usage and a 24.2 percent decrease in ventilator usage. Tomorrow is a state holiday, so that’s why we’re getting this week’s numbers early. Deaths are still increasing because they are the ultimate lagging indicator, but they’re not increasing by as as last week’s report. Again, though, this is a truncated reporting week. Positivity rates continue to decline, but so is the vaccine uptake rate, although that’s probably to be expected as the omicron fear wears off. IDPH…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 29,939 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 499 deaths since February 4, 2022.

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,987,502 cases, including 31,795 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since February 4, 2022, laboratories have reported 707,521 specimens for a total of 52,553,574. As of last night, 2,380 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 432 patients were in the ICU and 238 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 3-9, 2022 is 4.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 3-9, 2022 is 5.8%.

A total of 20,803,108 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 24,334 doses. Since February 4, 2022, 150,651 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 75% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 66% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and 48% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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.

* Let’s move on to the roundup. From the latest Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus poll comprising 1,049 interviews conducted February 4-7 with a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points…

The American public is clearly divided on how we should be handling the pandemic right now.

• When given the choice, people are split roughly into quarters on whether we should open up and get back to life as usual with no restrictions (21%), move in that direction with some precautions (29%), mostly keep requirements in place (23%), or increase mask mandates and vaccine requirements (21%).
• Americans are also evenly divided on their support for businesses requiring customers to show proof of vaccination before being allowed into stores or restaurants (51% favor, 48% oppose).
• A bare majority (55%) oppose federal, state, and local government lifting all COVID-19 restrictions.
• Throughout all of these data points, there are clear divisions by party affiliation and vaccination status. For example, 64% of Republicans support government entities lifting all restrictions, compared to just 23% of Democrats. Independents are right in the middle (47% support). There is a roughly 30 percentage point gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated on this topic as well, with the latter more inclined to support lifting restrictions.

There’s more, and toplines are here. Also, a 55-44 split on opposition/support of lifting all restrictions is definitely not a “bare majority.”

* ABC 7…

Chicago and suburban Cook County health officials said they anticipate that the city’s proof of vaccine requirement and indoor mask mandate will lift around the same time as the state’s. […]

Shortly after, Chicago health officials released their own statement saying if the city continues to see declines in these leading COVID metrics, it, too, should be in a position to lift restrictions at that time.

Proof of vaccination would no longer be required for patrons of restaurants, bars and gyms, along with the indoor mask mandates applying to those spaces in the city.

As with the state, the changes would not apply to public transit, health care facilities or schools, and business owners can still impose stricter requirements if they want to.

The news was met with mixed reactions. At Charbella Salon in Lakeview, customers wore masks while getting their hair done, as did their stylist. The owner said so far no one has complained about it, but once the mask mandate is lifted she still plans to ask for proof of vaccination.

* Tribune…

“I believe lifting these mitigations is premature at this time,” said Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University’s Institute for Global Health and a professor of infectious diseases at the Feinberg School of Medicine. “These decisions should be based on science and not political. That said, we are definitely trending in the right direction, and I think soon it will be safe to pull back.”

He said new case metrics are becoming difficult to monitor because so many are diagnosed through at-home tests that might not be reported to local health departments. The best metric, he said, is hospitalizations, which are tracked very closely each day. The trouble is that hospitalization numbers tend to lag after infections; testing other environmental sources, like waste water, might also be a good indicator, he said.

Murphy also warned that the new BA.2 subvariant of the virus, often dubbed stealth omicron, is more transmissible than the earlier omicron variant, which fueled this most recent surge. He added that vaccine mandates should be kept in place for now.

“If we loosen too quickly, we’ll be back with another wave sooner than later,” he said.

* AP…

Up to 7 million immune-compromised Americans have been left behind in the nation’s wobbly efforts to get back to normal. A weak immune system simply can’t rev up to fight the virus after vaccination like a healthy one does. Not only do these fragile patients remain at high risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, they can harbor lengthy infections that can help spark still more variants.

With more of the country now abandoning masks and other precautions as the omicron wave ebbs, how to keep this forgotten group protected is taking on new urgency.

This is ‘quickly transitioning into an epidemic of the vulnerable,’ said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. While healthy vaccinated people may return to pre-pandemic activities with little worry about severe consequences, ‘the immunocompromised — despite vaccination, despite taking all precautions — cannot, and remain at risk.’

* Tribune…

School officials are reacting to an incident at Maine South High School in Park Ridge this week that involved a group of students acting out and yelling obscenities in opposition to the continued mask requirement in school.

About 75 students left the Park Ridge school campus on Feb. 8 after some students became disruptive over the school’s mask mandate in the school commons area and nearby hallway between passing periods, said Principal Ben Collins. […]

Maine Township High School District 207 Superintendent Ken Wallace called the incident a premeditated act that was committed with the aim of disrupting the school day.

“The hardest part of navigating through the pandemic is the increasing loss of civility,” Wallace said Wednesday. “People think if you just yell and insult and call names it somehow makes their position right. And it’s just the opposite. We have to remember when we disagree that we do it respectfully and listen to each other to try to have an understanding.”

* WSIL TV…

Time for Pritzker to ‘follow the science, not the politics’ says Sen. Bryant […]

“A whole lot of the folks in southern Illinois have not been listening to him for a long time,” Bryant said.

No mention in the story of the high percentage of unvaccinated southern Illinoisans and that there are just 2 ICU beds available in Region 5.

* Yucky headline…

McConchie: Pritzker “using our kids” in a “naked power grab”

It’s even yuckier that Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie would specifically tailor a statement to the same network of publications which has been pushing the blatantly false “Rep. Deb Conroy wants to create concentration camps” garbage.

If you respond to their questions, I can only assume you believe they are legitimate.

* Speaking of Rep. Conroy…

Members of a far right group protested Tuesday in front of Conroy’s district office with police cars providing protection. She was forced to close her Villa Park office after receiving multiple death threats for misinformation spread about legislation she is proposing.

“I can’t explain to you the things that people said, the words they used,” Conroy said. “There is a word that begins with the letter “C” that I can tell you at my age I’ve never said it out loud. And I’ve read it so many times, it’s disturbing.” […]

In a response [to Speaker Welch], Durkin said Republicans are not immune to threats, writing, in part: “In an effort to be part of the solution, I encourage you to allow voices of the minority party to be heard and not continue to be disregarded.”

“I was really disappointed in Leader Durkin’s response because he is not addressing doing anything to stop it,” Conroy said.

She’s right about Leader Durkin.