One year after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, Illinois public health officials reported Thursday that more than 1.3 million residents — just over 10% of the state’s population — have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Statewide, 112,776 vaccine doses were administered Wednesday, bringing the total number of doses administered since December to 3,680,703. Over the past week, an average of 98,166 doses have been administered daily across the state.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden used his first prime-time address to outline his plan to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 and get the country “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July. The speech came hours after Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion relief package that he said will help defeat the virus.
Chicago is in line for about $1.9 billion in relief money from the federal government, and Northwest Side Ald. Gilbert Villegas said it makes sense to give a small slice of that to low-income residents as part of a basic income plan. On Thursday, alderman started talking about setting up a way for the city to cut monthly income checks to struggling Chicago families to use for whatever they want.
Here’s what’s happening Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:40 p.m.: At Illinois’ biggest nursing home, workers and residents still not vaccinated against COVID-19
Nearly three months into COVID-19 vaccination efforts in nursing homes, workers and residents at Illinois’ largest skilled-nursing facility have yet to be offered shots.
City View Multicare Center, in Cicero, suffered a heavy toll earlier in the pandemic, with 249 infections among residents and workers, and 15 deaths, according to state records. Now City View is dealing with a second outbreak, with at least five reported cases in the past 28 days.
“It’s kicking back up because nobody in our building has been vaccinated,” certified nursing assistant Shantonia Jackson said during an online news conference held by the SEIU Healthcare union.
The union blamed the nursing home’s managers for not signing up for the federal program and not seeking shots more aggressively.
“We should have been the first (to get shots),” Jackson said. “They should be on top of this. They should be doing something to make sure we’re getting vaccinated, and they’re not doing anything.”
Local health officials said they have long known of the need to get shots to City View but weren’t able to arrange it because of limited supply. The first shots should arrive Sunday, they said.
6 p.m.: In prime-time address, President Biden to outline plan to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1, get country ‘closer to normal’
One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden is outlining his plan Thursday evening to make all adults vaccine-eligible by May 1 and get the country “closer to normal” by the Fourth of July. He’s using his first prime-time address to offer Americans fresh hope and appeal anew for their help.
Speaking in the White House East Room, Biden will announce moves to speed vaccinations, including directing that all states make all adults eligible for doses by May 1. Previewing his remarks, senior administration officials said Biden would also announce steps to expand the number of places and categories of people who can give shots, aiming to let Americans gather at least in small groups for the Independence Day holiday.
Biden is marking one year since the onset of the pandemic that has killed more than 530,000 Americans and disrupted the lives of countless more.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden’s remarks, officials said Biden would announce that he is deploying an additional 4,000 active-duty troops to support vaccination efforts and will allow more people — such as medical students, veterinarians and dentists — to deliver shots. He is also directing more doses toward some 950 community health centers and up to 20,000 retail pharmacies, to make it easier for people to get vaccinated.
Biden will require states and territories to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1, as the country expects to have enough supply to be able to fully vaccinate adults by the end of that month.
But even as he offers optimism, the officials said Biden would make clear that the July 4 timetable requires cooperation from Americans to continue to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing and follow federal guidelines meant to slow the spread of the virus in the near term.
The speech comes hours after Biden on Thursday signed into law a $1.9 trillion relief package that he said will help the U.S. defeat the virus and nurse the economy back to health. Some direct checks to Americans could begin arriving this weekend.
5:15 p.m.: Cook County deploys mobile vaccination teams as details of United Center sign-ups for suburban residents to come next week
Cook County officials launched a new mobile vaccination program Thursday afternoon and said details for how suburban residents of high-need communities can sign up for the United Center mass vaccination site will be released next week.
The pilot program by the Cook County Health and Hospitals System and the Cook County Department of Public Health debuted by inoculating a hundred residents, caregivers and employees at the Garden House of Maywood, a Housing and Urban Development-subsidized senior home, with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Over the next weeks, nurses will head to other sites that have partnered with the county and serve suburban residents in phase 1b, which includes people 65 or older, front line essential workers and those in congregate living settings.
“I’m sure that you’re missing visits from friends and family, sons and daughters, grandchildren,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said at a news conference. “I know that I am. But we have reason to believe, now, that the worst of the virus is behind us, that we will soon be able to hug our grandchildren and visit our friends.”
For suburban phase 1b residents hoping to secure an appointment at Chicago’s United Center mass vaccination site that launched Tuesday, officials will announce details next week, Cook County Health CEO Israel Rocha Jr. said. There will be about 30 “communities” that ranked highest for vaccination need that will be eligible for that batch of sign-ups, he said. County officials did not immediately respond to a request for the list.
It’s a similar method the Chicago Department of Public Health used when it reserved United Center slots for five South and West ZIP codes. Cook County officials determined the 30 communities based on their COVID-19 deaths and infections, percentage of residents vaccinated and socioeconomic factors.
“We are required by FEMA and our partners to look at certain requirements as we’re giving out vaccine,” Rocha said. “There was public availability for everyone in the state. When that closed on Sunday, we were asked to look at our distribution methodology. Our methodology will be announced next week.”
He added there will be “some opportunity” for United Center sign ups beyond those 30 high-need communities as well.
Officials did not say how many doses were allocated for the mobile vaccination program, but organizations serving vulnerable populations will also be prioritized by the community COVID-19 vulnerability index, Rocha said. Interested groups can sign up here.
“We’re looking to bring COVID-19 vaccine into the areas where people live that have been most impacted by COVID-19,” Rocha said. “We need to make sure that everyone has access to the vaccine, and that includes bringing them directly where they live.”
5 p.m.: COVID-19 relief package could mean $5 billion for Illinois schools, including almost $2 billion for CPS
With President Joe Biden signing the $1.9 trillion federal relief package Thursday, Chicago Public Schools expects to receive around $1.8 billion to help city schools recover from the hardships wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID-19 has created unprecedented financial challenges for schools throughout the country. … It’s never been more essential to ensure public schools — particularly those that serve high numbers of Black and Latinx students from low-income households — are equitably funded and have the resources necessary to address the unprecedented needs brought on by the pandemic,” CPS CEO Janice Jackson said in a Thursday statement.
“These funds will ensure we can make the investments needed to address unfinished learning and mounting social and emotional needs, and we will be working in the months ahead to ensure these resources make a real difference for our students,” Jackson said.
With the new federal assistance from the American Rescue Plan Act arriving after CPS already received hundreds of millions of dollars in previous federal pandemic support, Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey said the funds “must address the massive inequities and harm that Black and Brown students and families have suffered as a result of COVID-19 — and to be frank, were suffering long before the pandemic.”
5 p.m.: Pritzker working on plan to bring conventions back, says ‘we’re just at a point where we’re almost past this’
State officials are working on a plan that would allow conventions to return to Illinois by this summer as more people are being vaccinated against the coronavirus and new cases continue to decline, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said Thursday.
“The administration is working on a plan that balances the health and safety of Illinoisans with everyone’s desire to return to normalcy,” Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said in a statement.
Speaking after touring a vaccination site in Grundy County earlier in the day, Pritzker said he continues to rely on experts in evaluating when it will be safe to further reopen portions of the state’s economy.
“We’re being cautious, but I’m also cautiously optimistic,” Pritzker said.
In addition to allowing more fans at outdoor high school sporting events, Pritzker said his administration is “making sure that we’re bringing back conventions and outdoor activities for the summer, including maybe some medium-size gatherings.”
2:49 p.m.: Aldermen consider guaranteed basic income program for Chicago
Aldermen on Thursday started talking about setting up a way for the city to cut monthly income checks to struggling Chicago families to use for whatever they want.
Chicago is in line for about $1.9 billion in COVID-19 relief money from the federal government, and Northwest Side Ald. Gilbert Villegas said it makes sense to give a small slice of that to low-income residents as part of a basic income plan.
Few specifics of the possible Chicago program were discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development. Villegas, who is the committee’s chairman, noted that giving 5,000 families each $500 per month would cost $30 million per year, less than 2% of the federal recovery money Chicago is set to receive.
Villegas set an ambitious time frame to try to create a Chicago income pilot program, however, saying he hopes to introduce and pass an ordinance this spring.
2:02 p.m.: COVID-19 has been tough on State Street. Will Primark’s opening be a sign of better things to come?
After a year when many retailers closed their doors, a new one opened Thursday on State Street: low-cost apparel retailer Primark.
A lot has changed in the Loop’s retail hub since Primark signed its lease in 2019. The crowds of tourists, office workers and students have shrunk since the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to hunker down at home. The number of empty storefronts dotting the street has grown.
Still, there are signs foot traffic is picking up, and when retailers are ready to consider filling vacant storefronts, Primark’s presence could boost confidence in State Street, said Greg Kirsch, executive managing director and Midwest retail leader for Cushman & Wakefield.
“They (Primark) don’t do a lot of deals, and when they do, people pay attention,” Kirsch said.
2 p.m.: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announces $73M suburban rental assistance program with $15,000 cap per eligible household
A Cook County rental assistance program unveiled last year for suburban residents opened a second round of applications on Wednesday, this time with officials promising to help thousands more with triple the amount of funding from the federal government.
Eligible suburbanites who get selected can receive up to 12 months of missed rent and utility payments and three months of future rent, according to the county’s website. Each household’s award, which goes directly to their landlords, will be capped at $15,000.
The application will be live until April 2 here. There will be separate programs unveiled by Chicago and Illinois officials in the coming weeks, Xochitl Flores, Cook County bureau chief of economic development, said.
12:43 p.m.: A year after global pandemic declared, more than 10% of Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19; average daily death toll half what it was a month ago
One year after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, Illinois public health officials reported Thursday that more than 1.3 million residents — roughly 10% of the state’s population — have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Statewide, 112,776 vaccine doses were administered Wednesday, bringing the total number of doses administered since December to 3,680,703. Over the past week, an average of 98,166 doses have been administered daily across the state.
Health officials also reported 1,700 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 1,204,409 since the outbreak began. The state has averaged 1,593 new daily cases over the past week, down from an average of 2,611 per day a month earlier.
Officials on Thursday also reported 55 additional fatalities, the highest daily total in nearly two weeks, bringing the statewide death toll to 20,863. The state has averaged 28 deaths per day over the past week, less than half of what the average was one month earlier.
The percentage of new cases as a share of total tests — the case positivity rate – was at a seven-day average of 2.2% statewide as of Wednesday. That’s near the lowest point since the state started releasing the figure last year.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, including those in intensive care and on ventilators, have continued declining to levels not seen since last spring.
12:42 p.m.: Pregnant women deserve more COVID-19 vaccine data, says Sen. Tammy Duckworth in letter to CDC director
Pregnant women in the United States must be given access to COVID-19 vaccines and deserve more safety data collected and distributed, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and 10 other legislators said in a letter sent this week to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky.
Their letter noted pregnant women’s increased risk for COVID-19 and that women make up three-fourths of the health care workforce. Despite this, pregnant women have faced a lack of data, differing recommendations and even vaccine denials.
“We need more guidance,” Duckworth said.
12:16 p.m.: 1,700 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 55 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 1,700 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 55 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,204,409 and the statewide death toll to 20,863 since the start of the pandemic.
Officials also reported 89,893 new tests in the last 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate for cases is 2.2%.
The 7-day rolling daily average of administered vaccine doses is 98,166, with 112,776 doses given on Wednesday. Officials also say a total of 3,680,703 vaccines have now been administered.
11:30 a.m.: City promises crackdown on bar overcrowding for St. Patrick’s Day weekend
Over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, city investigative teams say they will increase their efforts to make sure Chicago bars follow COVID-19 distancing rules.
The city office of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection says it “has expanded its investigative hours and will be conducting proactive investigations and responding to complaints from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. starting this Saturday.”
That’s an effort to prevent big crowds of revelers from packing into bars, ignoring distancing rules or perhaps dancing in violation of the city’s COVID-19 rules. Last year, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was dismayed after revelers were out in big numbers in the early days of the pandemic, even after she canceled the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parades.
11:06 a.m.: How COVID-19 vaccine gets from the factory to your arm: Here is how the tricky, meticulous operation works
The mission is monumental: Vials of extremely fragile and potentially lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine are being distributed by airplane and truck across the globe in the hope of eventually inoculating billions and ending the international pandemic.
So far nearly 94 million doses have been administered in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; roughly 3.5 million shots have been administered in Illinois.
But the process of getting doses from the factory to storage and then into arms is a daunting operation, hinging on meticulous handling and preparation protocols. The temperature has to be right. The timing must be exact. Even the method of preparing the injections must be precise, or the dose has to be discarded.
Throughout the effort, there’s one overarching objective: Waste no vaccine.
10:47 a.m.: 10 days that changed everything: A look back at how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in Chicago on social media
On March 11, 2020, the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic, turning a surreal crisis into a sudden reality for many Chicagoans.
Here’s a look back at how the early days of the pandemic unfolded — and changed everything.
10:43 a.m.: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson doses are available in Illinois. Can you choose? Should you?
With Illinois expecting more coronavirus vaccine doses in coming weeks, some people may soon face a choice: which vaccine to get.
Vaccination appointments are still tough to come by, leading many people to take whichever vaccine they can get first, whether it’s been made by Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. Health experts are imploring people not to wait for one type of vaccine, saying they’re all effective at preventing death and hospitalization, and that rapid, widespread vaccination is needed to control the spread of COVID-19.
But with the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine now available in Illinois, some people are actively seeking it out, while others are trying to avoid it — a task that’s easier in some places than others.
7 a.m.: A year ago, COVID shut down Chicago’s arts. Where are we now?
When did the COVID-19 pandemic begin? That question, of course, has yet to be resolved. And since it’s inherently linked to the origin story of a global virus, the true start of the most devastating of 21st century narratives may well never be known.
But when it comes to the world of arts and entertainment, a sector to which COVID-19 brought utter devastation, this is the moment to pause and reflect on a year of unspeakable losses.
We asked a cross-section of Chicagoland arts professionals to recount what it was like one year ago this weekend, at the very moment when their professional worlds blew up.
Shows came down, screens went dark, museums shuttered, visitors disappeared, doors were locked, staffers were let go and health worries started to escalate.
6 a.m.: During pandemic, Illinois saw 27% jump in deaths, among worst in the US. One reason: There were two waves.
First came a tough spring surge, when COVID-19 killed thousands of Illinois residents. Then, an even more brutal one in the fall and winter.
Through it all, Illinois managed to avoid the overwhelmed hospitals seen in other states. But a new Tribune analysis of pandemic deaths shows that the two waves took an extraordinarily high toll on the state’s population.
Looking at federal estimates of excess deaths — how many more people died than is usually expected — Illinois ranked among the 10 worst states (including the District of Columbia) for the 10-month period from March through December.
In Illinois, nearly 111,000 people died from March 1 through Jan. 2, as tallied on a weekly basis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s 27% higher than the average for 2015 through 2019, which was about 87,000 deaths for the same 44-week period.
The virus is to blame for most of these extra deaths, but not all. For every five known COVID-19 deaths in Illinois, there were two other deaths that exceeded the typical numbers. Some of those deaths are undiagnosed cases, researchers have said; others are likely people who were unwilling or unable to get critical care for other serious medical conditions during the pandemic.
The numbers also support what many experts had already noted: The pandemic disproportionately killed Hispanic and Black Illinoisans, as well as senior citizens. The data also showed notable increases in the deaths of younger adults, tracking with stories of some essential workers succumbing to the disease.
6 a.m.: Where were you when you realized the pandemic would change everyday life? Here’s what our readers said.
It’s been a year since COVID-19 shut down professional sports, halted live theater and closed down restaurants as we knew them. In a year of remote life, quarantines and social distancing, many of us have suffered immeasurable losses and also found pockets of hope.
In the days leading up to when Illinois became one of the first states in the country to issue a stay-at-home order — which at the time was set to be only a few weeks — some people were still celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, while others were hunkering down and setting up their Zoom accounts.
Everyone has a story for when it hit them that the coronavirus pandemic was going to change everyday life. Maybe you were sitting at the office, riding the CTA or at the grocery store looking for toilet paper.
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