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* Sun-Times…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday urged unvaccinated Illinoisans to roll up their sleeves and get the shots, warning of a “growing presence” of a highly contagious COVID-19 variant that he and the state’s public health officials expect to dominate cases statewide by the fall.
Wearing a face mask before he spoke, Pritzker made his plea at an unrelated news conference on the West Side, telling residents not to let their guard down in the face of the expected spread of the Delta variant in Illinois.
“The lessons here at home and across the world are a harbinger of what could happen here, particularly in low vaccinated areas, if we don’t see a higher uptake of the vaccine across Illinois,” Pritzker said.
“This is very real. I implore all residents: If you have friends and family on the fence, share with them the life-saving benefits of these free vaccines and encourage them to remain masked until they are fully vaccinated.”
* Capitol News Illinois…
IDPH had identified 9,697 COVID-19 variants in the state as of Monday. That includes 84 instances of the Delta variant, which prompted a high-ranking official at the World Health Organization to warn this week that vaccinated individuals should still be wearing face coverings to protect against community transmission.
“Vaccine alone won’t stop the community transmission. …People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, the physical distance, avoid crowding,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products, said according to transcripts of a news briefing.
Pritzker said his administration expects the Delta variant, which has proven more transmissible and dangerous to unvaccinated individuals, “to dominate our cases statewide by the fall.” He and others appeared masked at a news conference in Chicago that was called to celebrate the opening of a business center in the North Lawndale community.
* Related…
* 6 facts about the Delta variant in Illinois
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 3:16 am
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School employees need to prove vaccinations before going back into the buildings and they need to put it in writing. Keep our kids safe
Comment by Putitinwriting Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 3:27 am
All the more reason that I don’t want to enter the “new normal” as much as possible until most kids 12 and under have been vaccinated. Even if it takes a few more years
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 7:49 am
I’m wondering if we should go back to at least either Phase 4 or perhaps a “Phase 4 Lite” until the Delta variant gets under control worldwide.
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:07 am
Y’all just can’t get over your addiction to the covid crisis can you…
Comment by No more masks Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:20 am
=== can’t get over your addiction to the covid crisis can you…===
Only the foolish see 600,000 deaths as something to mock.
Noticing you didn’t dispute the numbers of the surge, so there’s that too.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:23 am
===School employees need to prove vaccinations before going back into the buildings and they need to put it in writing. Keep our kids safe ===
Masks and distancing worked in schools to keep kids safe. Kids that did get it…the majority in our community got it from their parents or from sports programs. Teachers are not the problem.
Parents need to get the vaccine to keep our kids safe.
Comment by M Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:31 am
=== Parents need to get the vaccine to keep our kids safe.===
Parents, teachers, kids, seniors… everyone.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:32 am
OW, only the foolish think that crisis mode should continue on indefinitely, and what surge would that be?
Comment by No more masks Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:32 am
Anti-mitigation people and anti-vaxers have been so damaging to us, especially the Republican politicians who pander to them. These twisted people have no problem with widespread sickness and death, hospitals and morgues filling up with people who might include them, but they’re afraid of a highly effective life saving and health protecting measure that has few downsides. Now after all this progress we may be facing another setback, because the Delta variant may gain a foothold. Thankfully vaccines are reported to be highly effective in reducing hospitalization and death.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:38 am
=== only the foolish think that crisis mode should continue on indefinitely===
Wearing a mask isn’t a crisis. That’s the foolish.
Also…
===The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified it as a “variant of concern.” If vaccination rates fail to keep pace with its spread, experts say, the variant could lead to new COVID surges in parts of the country where a substantial proportion of the population remains unvaccinated.===
Isreal is already seeing cases of the variant infecting the vaccinated, as one example.
A global pandemic not eradicated may surge without prevention
I know, I know “I say ‘Merica”… amirite?
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:38 am
Region 4 (Metro East) is getting worrisome on positivity rate again. 3.2%, highest since about late April for the region.
https://dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=4
Meanwhile, Region 3 (Springfield/Quincy, and including Schuyler County where the Crossing church camp is located) has increased positivity 8 of the last 10 days, and has jumped from 1% on June 16th to 1.9% as of last Friday. But I can’t help but wonder if the Crossing outbreak might be only part of the jump in this region? Not good.
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:55 am
A group of superintendents from the Large Unit District Association (LUDA) wrote to the state supt
“Luda is requesting two actions from ISBE: social distancing, quarantine, and mask guidelines in schools to be in line with phase 5, and they want full guidance for the fall to be issued immediately.”
Basically they want no masking or distancing. These arrogant people do not speak for all schools, not even close.
Masks should be mandated for schools until all get vaccinated. The masking and distancing practices worked for those of us that held in person instruction and will continue to do so.
My nightmare is either optional masking or only for the unvaccinated. MAsking was easy to enforce for us, but if it is only for the unvaccinated, that will be a nightmare and create conflict.
Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 8:57 am
JS Mill - You are correct about LUDA - & kids masking. The kids rarely were a problem when it came to masking, etc. Boards of Education are another story, however, LOL. Good luck.
Comment by Interim Retiree Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 9:22 am
===We should round up people who won’t wear masks/get vaxxed.===
And do what with them exactly? This type of hyperbole doesn’t help convince anyone to do the right things.
Comment by Cubs in '16 Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 9:27 am
=== This type of hyperbole doesn’t help convince anyone ===
Yep. Deleted.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 9:46 am
== OW, only the foolish think that crisis mode should continue on indefinitely, and what surge would that be? ==
Don’t think anyone is saying ‘masks forever’ but whatever.
In terms of a surge, for that it is worth, I have a co-worker who currently can not leave Isreal due to them preventing people from leaving due to their Delta outbreak.
So yeah it is happening. Even here 85 people infected due to one event.
Finally, serious question, would you rather someone said, be cautious and be aware and it turns out there isn’t a problem or not say that and then there is a problem?
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 10:04 am
==A group of superintendents from the Large Unit District Association (LUDA) wrote to the state supt
“Luda is requesting two actions from ISBE: social distancing, quarantine, and mask guidelines in schools to be in line with phase 5, and they want full guidance for the fall to be issued immediately.”
Basically they want no masking or distancing. These arrogant people do not speak for all schools, not even close.==
And unfortunately for the safety of the Springfield area, both Springfield Dist. 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill and Ball-Chatham superintendent Douglas Wood are among LUDA’s members at large who probably would have signed or helped support that letter.
https://www.ludaillinois.org/
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 10:12 am
If you want life to go back to normal, you get vaccinated and continue to wear masks in crowded public and private settings until we reach herd immunity through vaccination. Otherwise the variants will surge, and we’ll be shutting things down again.
Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 10:14 am
==Even if it takes a few more years==
You have fun with that. Fully vaccinated people can get on with their lives. I mean, that’s why we get vaccinated, right?
Comment by phocion Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 10:43 am
==Even if it takes a few more years==
Nobody is going to stomach that. We’re in Phase 5 now. You thought enforcement of mitigations was hard before, try implementing them again. The train has now left the station.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:18 am
“I don’t want to enter the new normal…” Hey, great news. You don’t have to. No one will force you leave your house. You have the ability to keep yourself safe and secure if that’s what you want to do. You are free to keep wearing your mask if you have to go out or get a hazmat suit if that’s what it takes to make you feel safe.
Comment by Captain Obvious Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:30 am
Anti-maskers/vaxers: Restrictions are endless and ridiculous.
Also anti-maskers/vaxers: I’m not doing anything to end restrictions.
Too bad certain people lack the ability to understand a very simple concept: If we want more freedom, we have to be more responsible. But many are privileged and have tantrums when they are made to follow rules they don’t like (but they sure demand “law and order” of others). Poor little Muffsies, the world doesn’t revolve around them.
Comment by Grandson of Man Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:31 am
==Vaccine alone won’t stop the community transmission. …People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, the physical distance, avoid crowding,==
Based on that logic we would be doing mitigations for the rest of our lives.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:40 am
=== Hey, great news. You don’t have to. No one will force you leave your house. You have the ability to keep yourself safe and secure if that’s what you want to do. You are free to keep wearing your mask if you have to go out or get a hazmat suit if that’s what it takes to make you feel safe.===
Are you vaccinated?
Just so I’m clear on where you stand, I know where you stand on HazMat suits…
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:43 am
The Center Square so routinely offers the worst take on matters, and this is no exception.
Comment by skutt Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:48 am
This was the worry I had when officials at the federal, state, and local levels all had their announcements with “Covid-19 is over, everybody take off your masks” in 128-point type, and “but not really, please be safe on your own terms” in fine print at the bottom.
Now we’re going to have a couple of months of these same officials politely asking us to volunteer out of the goodness of our hearts and get all this toothpaste back into the tube.
I prefer to not think about what’s following those couple of months.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 11:49 am
==This was the worry I had when officials at the federal, state, and local levels all had their announcements with “Covid-19 is over, everybody take off your masks” in 128-point type, and “but not really, please be safe on your own terms” in fine print at the bottom.==
This also seems like a rerun of what we saw at this time last year when we entered Phase 4. We entered Phase 4 and then the cases spiked for a while as summer heated up, then more so in the fall and winter. Now it’s the Delta variant as positivity in regions 3 and 4 increase again right as we “entered” Phase 5.
Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 12:09 pm
==This also seems like a rerun of what we saw at this time last year when we entered Phase 4.==
No one was vaccinated this time last year. Geez!
Comment by phocion Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 12:21 pm
Just got back from Florida. Outside of the airport/plane ride very few masks maybe 2% were seen. Uber drivers were 50/50 on if they wanted you to wear a mask. some seemed more concerned about seatbelts.
di the beach thing and universal where again there were very few masks despite being in line for hours.
They did have a announcement over the speakers on the way in about non-vaccinated people should wear a mask but that was about all.
Most everyone was living their life as if normal
Comment by Todd Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 12:50 pm
This virus is mutating and “learning” how to get around vaccines. The more we as a world allow that to occur, the more potential for a seriously deadly or at least debilitating second wave this fall. So, I’ll continue to mask and social distance and carry hand sanitizer around, especially as someone who got the J&J which may not be as effective against Delta or Delta variants. I still respect the lessons we can all consider from 1918- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/three-waves.htm
Comment by Anon221 Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 1:23 pm
Apologies to Tanya Tucker et al.
It’s the Delta dawn, grab your mask and put it back on
Gotta cover your mouth and nose or you might die
You see there’s a new varitae, a-spreadin’ itself across the USA
Few more weeks til the TP’s in short supply
Comment by Asteroid of Caution Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 1:41 pm
==No one was vaccinated this time last year. Geez==
And less than half the state is now, despite the celebratory proclamations that (almost) 70% (of people age 12 and over) have (received at least one shot).
The longer we allow variants to spread, even if they do not impact the vaccinated to any significant extent, the more the odds increase of a vaccine-resistant variant developing as mutations continue.
The current approach of “well, it’s fine now, no need to worry that much” is why 600,000 Americans ended up dead, and in another facet of our lives, why it is 115 degrees in Portland this week.
Comment by Roadrager Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 1:41 pm
=I prefer to not think about what’s following those couple of months.=
What’s coming is a nearly safe existence for anyone who is fully vaccinated. MRNA is proving excellent at controlling the variants and Delta might just run though communities fast enough to push those low vaxxed areas to an acceptable level of herd immunity.
Not how you’d like to see a pandemic end - but likely how it will here in the US.
Comment by Cool Papa Bell Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 2:09 pm
=== only the foolish think that crisis mode should continue on indefinitely===
Only the foolish refuse to either get vaccinated or wear a mask, two simple things that would bring the pandemic to a quick end if everyone did them.
Comment by LakeCo Tuesday, Jun 29, 21 @ 2:22 pm