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* Jake Griffin…
State health officials today reported 3,029 COVID-19 patients were being treated in hospitals throughout Illinois.
That’s up 187 patients from the day before and the largest single-day surge in patients since November of 2020, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records.
Of those hospitalized, 610 are in intensive care.
IDPH officials also reported another 78 COVID-19 deaths, while 7,068 new cases were diagnosed.
That’s the highest single-day death toll from the virus since Feb. 11.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:09 pm
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This thing is just unrelenting. If only there was something people could do to avoid getting really sick.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:17 pm
This is almost entirely avoidable.
If you’re eligible, get your shots (or your booster) ASAP.
Comment by The Doc Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:18 pm
It’s such a terrible thing as things like hospitalizations and deaths can be prevented with the vaccine, and we look at the same folks unvaccinated doing risky behaviors, we know them, some are even friends and family.
Heartbreaking
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:20 pm
I was watching a video of the retirement of the former Japanese and MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka during a game in Japan. I believe it was in an outdoor stadium and if you look closely everyone was wearing a mask!!
It is not hard. Vaccines, Testing, AND Masks!!
Comment by Big Jer Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:28 pm
“a game in Japan … if you look closely everyone was wearing a mask”
The US could learn a thing or two from the Asian countries when it comes to wearing a mask. The US is polar opposite to the Asians.
Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:35 pm
“…and we look at the same folks unvaccinated doing risky behaviors…”
Exactly right. The problem is that the Venn diagram is almost perfect between those who won’t get vaxxed and those who refuse to wear a mask. And they are the bulk of the problem.
Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:42 pm
recently attended a couple events where you had to show your vax record and still had to wear a mask. one event even had nice give away masks. there are things we can do. and they are easy. do them.
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:56 pm
Got my booster today, just in time as it appears.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 2:58 pm
The timing is about right when you consider Thanksgiving was just about two weeks ago.
Comment by Glengarry Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:02 pm
I’m not sure why any statistic that is published about cases, hospitalizations, and deaths does not include the percent of these cases that are of unvaccinated people. The powers that be should be pounding these unvaccinated statistics if for no other reason that to shame folks. This pandemic is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The rest of us are being held hostage.
Comment by Nagidam Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:30 pm
= The US is polar opposite to the Asians. =
Not just in masks either.
Which is reflected in the rising of one empire, and the waning of another.
It might get lost in the day to day slowness of life sometimes, but we really are living through a very significant period of time in a global sense. Unfortunately, many people are not going to realize what is happening until the waves of change have overtaken them.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:36 pm
I believe most people,myself included, have been vaccinated, gotten the booster, but have opted out of mask wearing.
Comment by Blue Dog Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:36 pm
==The rest of us are being held hostage.==
I refuse to be held hostage. I’m fully vaccinated. Just got my booster this week. I’ve been living my life normal (wearing a mask) for a while now. I’ve been on vacations, go out to eat, go shopping. Do all the normal stuff. If it weren’t for the kiddos still getting vaccinated I’d say it was time to stop everything and get back to a fully normal life. The unvaccinated are no longer a concern of mine. They put themselves in the position of getting sick. No sympathy from me. I’m feel sorry for the medical providers because they have to put up with the stupidity.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:38 pm
Might be smart to avoid visiting friends and casinos in Indiana. A news source states the 7-day positivity rate is 14.4 %.
Much lower vaccination rate than in Illinois. Only 51%of Indiana’s population is fully vaccinated.
Comment by Rudy’s teeth Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:41 pm
==but have opted out of mask wearing.==
It’s such a burden to wear a mask isn’t it? /s/
You’re part of the problem.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:43 pm
==its sad to see the vaccine breakthroughs are such a large portion of the deaths.==
What are you talking about. They represent 0.014% of the deaths. Any death is bad, of course, but I would hardly call that a “large portion.”
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 3:46 pm
The majority of those hospitalized are unvaxed.
The majority of those dying are unvaxed.
The majority of those unvaxed are no doubt Republican voters.
Perhaps if the right wing media would frame it that way, something would change. Otherwise, oh well … too bad for the Republicans.
Comment by filmmaker prof Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:04 pm
=== The majority of those unvaxed are no doubt Republican voters. ===
Show work please and don’t leave drive-by unsupported assertions. That doesn’t cut it here.
Comment by Team America Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:12 pm
==The majority of those unvaxed are no doubt Republican voters.==
You probably should check on the % of people in the black community who are not vaxed. Rich has posted figures on that issue here multiple times.
Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:13 pm
=== % of people in the black community who are not vaxed===
1) It’s a minority;
2) Black people are only 14 percent of IL population.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:17 pm
Sixty percent of unvaccinated people identify as Republican or Republican-leaning, despite making up 41 percent of the adult population. Meanwhile, 17 percent of the unvaccinated population are Democrats or Democratic-leaning.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/581708-unvaccinated-adults-more-than-three-times-as-likely-to-lean-republican-kff
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:21 pm
Demoralized, unfortunately the untaxed are still your concern. They are filling the hospital beds, so if a vexed person has a stroke or sepsis and needs an ICU a bed might not be available because those untaxed you did not want to worry about is filling the bed. These folks are also clogging the ER. Wish we could forget about them and let them live on their island, but unfortunately they impact what is happening on my island. We are all on the same ship and will sink or swim together.
Comment by illinifan Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:26 pm
@illinifan
Which is why we should make life as miserable as possible for the unvaccinated (unless they have a medical reason to not be vaccinated). Fire them from their jobs. Refuse entry into businesses and events for the non-vaccinated. You can do all sorts of things to make their lives miserable. We should start doing them. They deserve to be complete ostracized from society. Other countries are starting to do it. We should too.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:37 pm
==These folks are also clogging the ER. Wish we could forget about them and let them live on their island==
What other folks are “clogging” ER’s? To what island are you sending them?
Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:43 pm
Demoralized words are harsh - but I totally agree:
Which is why we should make life as miserable as possible for the unvaccinated (unless they have a medical reason to not be vaccinated). Fire them from their jobs. Refuse entry into businesses and events for the non-vaccinated. You can do all sorts of things to make their lives miserable. We should start doing them. They deserve to be complete ostracized from society. Other countries are starting to do it. We should too.
Comment by WestBurbs Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:51 pm
==Show your work==
There’s a pretty good overview here with data and analysis: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/05/1059828993/data-vaccine-misinformation-trump-counties-covid-death-rate
Bottom line: Republicans have much lower vaccination rates, the counties where they are in the majority have much higher infection and death rates, and they are more likely to believe false statements about COVID.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 4:58 pm
===I believe most people===
With respect, you see what you want to see.
Comment by J\ibba Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:00 pm
Ms Zat went to the ER last Friday am for a non-COVID issue and got good care. Almost empty. Asked the RN we saw why? She said ‘Just a temporary break’. By evening it was packed, mostly COVID and virtually all unvaxed. Hospital had 8 beds open because 6 people went home. COVID had the highest inpatient numbers. So:
Patient: I do not need a mask, do not want a vax, and I have my rights.
COVID: Thanks for making it easier for me.
Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:01 pm
Chicago reached 77% vaccinated in November. From the Sun Times article, Only 51.6% of Black residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Nov. 18, according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health. Among Latino residents, the number is 61.6%.”
This is a problem.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2021/11/22/22797436/coronavirus-chicago-covid-vaccine-vaccination-rate-77-percent-black-latino-hispanic-residents
Comment by Save It Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:02 pm
@Demoralized
=== I’ve been living my life normal (wearing a mask) for a while now.===
Unless you were wearing a mask pre-Covid, you are not living your normal life. The vaccinated have done their part. We are not living our normal life to protect the unvaccinated who I would guess aren’t wearing a mask anyway.. It really is that simple of a statement.
Comment by Nagidam Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:03 pm
==Bottom line: Republicans have much lower vaccination rates==
No doubt, but as someone who works in Chicago and takes the CTA daily, I’m not running into many Republicans on a daily basis. So, for me, the subset of who’s vaccinated and who is not is different and quite relevant.
Comment by City Zen Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:09 pm
===…as someone who works in Chicago and takes the CTA daily, I’m not running into many Republicans on a daily basis.===
You have data on that or… most people would’ve stopped digging.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:14 pm
Demoralized, I am with you. I would love to see vaccine requirements if you want to go anyplace much as many countries in Europe are doing. To City Zen, like zatoichi mentioned, the untaxed are adding to our ERs already full workload. Zatoichi hit it lucky on being into the ER during a lull. The island, is called a figure of speech.
Comment by illinifan Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:23 pm
Team Demoralized. It’s like you’re in my brain…
Comment by danray Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:51 pm
Meanwhile, (some) state agencies are having in-person, mandatory Christmas parties.
“Because it’s time we all get together finally. We’re not gonna WebEx this year.”
Crazy, reckless.
Comment by Mr K Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 5:59 pm
buy covid tests and have at home to test yourself if you become oddly ill. this is important even if you got the vax and a booster. the faster you know you may be ill, the faster any treatment you can get from a doc. the omicron variant is more easily transmissible, and with the first case in Illinois found in someone fully vaxed and boosted, it is worrisome even if it…apparently…..is less dangerous than the Delta variant. planning….
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 6:30 pm
In my state agency, even potlucks for retirements, birthdays, etc. are a no-go. Been tough to sneak in pizzas.
Comment by danray Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 6:55 pm
Mr K. I’m also at a state agency that is requiring the entire agency to attend an indoor holiday party. I’m really hoping it ends up being cancelled, I’m very uncomfortable with this, but, so far, management is not changing their minds.
Comment by Dread Pirate Roberts Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 8:27 pm
Dread Pirate Roberts, please tell me what agency this is. Thanks
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 8:31 pm
How on earth can a state agency require attendance at an indoor holiday party? That’s absurd. Pre-covid, there would be no “requirement” of attendance at a holiday party.
Comment by Oxfordian Tuesday, Dec 7, 21 @ 10:38 pm
==Meanwhile, (some) state agencies are having in-person, mandatory Christmas parties.==
Would these mandatory parties involve state employees in bargaining units? (Despite AFSCME’s anti-mandatory vax status). Or are these all non-union employees required to attend the party?
I would have thought even before COVID that the union would object to mandatory attendance by bargaining unit employees at holiday parties. Including for reasons as holiday objections, family needs, wellness, etc.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 5:22 am
I’m on Team Demoralized.
And all the “Go get your shots people” comments haven’t worked and aren’t going to work.
While I feel awful for what the healthcare workers have to deal with as a result of these idiots, I can’t control their decisions so I too have moved on.
Comment by DuPage Moderate Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 7:56 am
Does the data identify whether someone is hospitalized because of Covid-related symptoms (or, conversely, they were found to have covid upon hospitalized for an unrelated issue)? I wondered if that percentage has changed over time but cannot find any numbers.
Comment by Original Anon Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 7:59 am
“what island are you sending them?”
North Brother Island, New York’s East River. Site of hospital where Typhoid Mary died.
Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:01 am
—
Would these mandatory parties involve state employees in bargaining units?
—
Yes.
Attendance required.
No remote participation.
All employees — union and non-union.
Food catered (masks off during lunch?).
Concerns voiced.
Employees freaked.
Management: “It’s time we get together in person and celebrate.”
Comment by Mr K Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:29 am
===“Go get your shots people” comments haven’t worked===
It’s worked, but, unfortunately, the anti-vax grifters realized that they could fool some of the people all of the time.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:31 am
==Attendance required.==
And are these mandatory “parties” during work hours or are they after hours? Has the union taken a stance on this?
And what agencies are these parties occurring at? My agency has banned potlucks and snack days since the pandemic began–and I hope even if COVID gets under control that this policy remains permanent due to productivity losses on those days.
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:42 am
===And what agencies are these parties occurring at?===
I’m thinking it’s not real
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:46 am
==I’m thinking it’s not real==
I hope it isn’t. I’m thankful that even before the pandemic we haven’t had mandatory parties at our office all the years I’ve been with the State (but had a fair share of snack days and holiday/birthday potlucks over the years pre-COVID).
Comment by NonAFSCMEStateEmployeeFromChatham Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 8:49 am
Yes, it is real.
Yes, it is during work hours.
Yes, it is mandatory.
And yes — employees are (as I say above) quite freaked out.
Email sent this website’s ‘Contact’ Address.
Comment by Mr K Wednesday, Dec 8, 21 @ 9:00 am