- Credibility:
CHICAGO — Thirty-five people were reported to have died from coronavirus during the past day in Illinois.
Among the victims were 10 people in Cook County, including a man in his 40s. At least 8,945 people have died from COVID-19 in Illinois.
The past day also saw 2,818 new confirmed cases, bringing the total up to 313,518 for the state. Illinois’ positivity rate rose slightly to 3.8 percent.
There were 71,599 tests processed in the last 24 hours, officials said.
As of Thursday night, 1,812 people were hospitalized with coronavirus in Illinois, including 395 people in the ICU and 153 people using ventilators.
Throughout Illinois, 26 counties are considered to be at “warning level” for COVID-19, though Cook County is not among them. Counties can receive the designation if they are having a large amount of new cases, if they positivity rate is increasing or if deaths are increasing, among other things.
In Chicago, an average of 332 cases are being reported per day and two people are dying. The city’s positivity rate was at 4.2 percent.
At least 2,984 Chicagoans have died from coronavirus, and there have been 83,074 confirmed cases here.
Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, again urged Chicagoans not to travel to Wisconsin. The state is on Chicago’s quarantine list, meaning people must self-isolate for 14 days if they come to Chicago from Wisconsin.
Arwady’s warning, issued during a Thursday livestream, comes as Wisconsin is seeing a huge surge in coronavirus cases. Wisconsin’s outbreak is “significantly worse” than Illinois’ was even at the peak of new cases here, she said, adding that doctors in Wisconsin have told her they’re seeing packed hospitals.
“It is not a good idea to go to Wisconsin right now,” Arwady said. She said the situation there is “dangerous.”
Arwady also said she does not expect a vaccine to be available for Chicagoans until spring, and even them its availability will be limited as the world will be competing for access to the vaccine.
“2021, to me, is going to be about rolling out this vaccine while we continue masking and social distancing,” Arwady said.
But by this time next year, Chicago could be in a better place so long as people take the vaccine and follow safety protocols like masking and social distancing, Arwady said.
“I cannot say strongly enough that the individual behaviors that people make every day are what drive our success or failure,” Arwady said.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
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