By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
Jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 death toll surpassed 14,000 on Friday as the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 190 additional deaths in people from their 20s to over 100 years of age.
The state also reported 9,420 new or confirmed cases, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 832,951 cases with 14,050 deaths among more than 11.5 million test results reported. There were 104,448 results reported Friday for a one-day positivity rate of 9.1 percent.
The state’s seven-day rolling average case positivity rate decreased to 9.4 percent on Friday, the fourth straight day of decreases.
Hospitalizations remained about level with 5,141 people hospitalized for the disease as of Thursday night, including 1,081 in intensive care unit beds. That left about 24.8 percent of total hospital beds available statewide and 18.7 percent of ICU beds.
Gov. JB Pritzker praised a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel’s decision to recommend approval of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer. He said he expects quick official approval from the FDA.
“Historically, the FDA rules in the direction of these panels. And in this case with months of data indicating that this vaccine is safe, and thus far, 95 percent effective, the FDA’s decision is all but imminent,” he said. “Our own review panel is poised to review all available FDA data, and based on all information to date the team is optimistic that this vaccine can safely move forward.”
The FDA’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will then meet to offer advice as to how the vaccine should be distributed in future rounds within the population.
“Federal officials have told us that these first doses will be shipped out to states within 24 hours of approval and Illinois is prepared to quickly get this vaccine to our frontline health care workforce,” Pritzker said.
Health care workers and long-term care residents will be prioritized to receive the initial doses, per the state’s vaccine plan.
IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said she recommends Illinoisans stay home this holiday season, but those planning to travel should be tested for the virus before doing so.
“But please understand that having those tests does not really give you a free pass and assure that there could be no transmission of infection,” she said. “Someone who tests negative today could be exposed tomorrow on the plane or in the airport, and then spread the virus in the days after that.”
She said she was “strongly recommending” people stay home for the holidays.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
