Can you start expanding your social circle after receiving the coronavirus vaccine?
Medical experts in Illinois weighed.
At the same time, the state is expected to expand the requirements for those eligible for Phase 1B vaccinations from the state’s rollout this week.
Here are the latest COVID headlines from across the state:
Coronavirus in Illinois: 1,246 new cases, 34 additional deaths, nearly 60,000 vaccinations
Illinois health officials on Monday reported 1,246 new cases of coronavirus, along with 34 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state brings Monday’s new cases of 1175,655 cases of the virus since the pandemic began last year. A total of 20,303 deaths were reported due to the virus.
The seven-day positive rate rose slightly on Monday, according to IDPH, with 2.8% of all tests returning with positive results. That is by 2.7% the previous day. The positivity rate on individuals tested kept 3.1% stable.
In terms of vaccinations, the numbers are still affected by the bad weather that has limited the delivery of new doses over the past few days. A total of 59,748 doses of the vaccine were administered in Illinois on Sunday, with the seven-day running average now standing at 55,499 doses per day.
A total of 2,256,975 vaccine doses were delivered to suppliers in Illinois, along with 445,200 doses delivered to pharmacies as part of a federal program to vaccinate staff and residents at long-term care facilities. Of the 2.7 million doses, 2,211,700 vaccines were administered from midnight in Illinois, including 282,820 for long-term care facilities.
Phase 1B Vaccine Qualifications Expanded This Week
Illinois will expand the list of people eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in phase 1B of its implementation, government JB Pritzker announced Wednesday.
The state expects to increase fitness from February 25 so that people at high risk can be vaccinated for medical condition or comorbidity. The list includes those with cancer, diabetes, obesity, women who are pregnant, and those with various other conditions.
Here is a list of what qualifies as a high-risk medical condition.
Chicago and Cook County do not expect to join the state to expand the admission.
For a complete look at where and how to make an appointment in Illinois or where to get vaccinations for your area, click here.
More staff returning to Chicago Public Schools classrooms Monday
Additional teachers and staff plan to return to the classrooms as the district prepares to receive more students back in the coming weeks.
According to CPS’s schedule, nursery schools had to report to 5th grade teachers at the school on Monday, one week before their students return for personal learning.
The move was part of an agreement between the district and the Chicago Teachers Union, following weeks of negotiations over a return to classroom teaching and vaccinations for teachers.
The best doctor in Illinois says that for months there is a wide availability of vaccines
Illinois’ leading doctor has promised a wide availability of the COVID-19 vaccine to state residents, but said it would take months before supply would meet demand.
The director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, dr. Ngozi Ezike’s remarks in a Chicago Tribune weekend’s remarks come amid complaints about shortages and problems getting appointments. The recent explosion of winter weather also delayed shipments, leading to the cancellation of appointments.
“It will take months for our supply to comfortably exceed demand – an obstacle we have always expected, and that is why we have devoted so much time and attention to the phases of priority,” Ezike wrote. “Everyone deserves their turn to get the vaccine, and it’s my promise to Illinois that we’ll get there – as efficiently, quickly and fairly as we can.”
COVID-19 Positivity rate lowest since pandemic begins, says Chicago top doctor
The positive rate of coronavirus in Chicago is the lowest since the pandemic, the city’s leading doctor announced Friday.
“I am also pleased to announce today that we have a positive position of 3.5% in the city of Chicago,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said in Chicago. “This is the lowest positivity the city of Chicago has seen from COVID since COVID came to Chicago.”
Arwady noted that Chicago’s positivity rate fell below 4% during the summer, but never to the level the city recorded from Friday.
Chicago’s has an average of 323 new COVID-19 cases per day, Arwady said. This is less than the more than 3,000 cases per day recorded at the peak of the virus. The city’s daily score is also lower than the cutoff that is a ‘high risk area’, according to Chicago guidelines.
Can you socialize if you are completely vaccinated? Answers from experts
When are you safe to expand your social circles or see your loved ones, after receiving the coronavirus vaccine?
According to experts from NBC 5’s panel “Vaccinated State”, the answer is a bit complicated.
“One thing we do not know about the vaccine is whether people will still shed viruses if they become infected,” said Dr. Richard Novak, head of the Infectious Diseases Division for UI Health, said. “The vaccine is very effective in preventing people from getting sick, but that does not mean they did not get an infection. We do not know that you still know. And if they do get the infection, we do not know the amount. virus that they shed coming out of their body is reduced. ‘
According to Novak, the length of immunity that the vaccine provides is unclear.
“What we do know is that an immunity actually lasts at least the three months we had in the study. If you look at the levels of antibodies produced by the vaccines, then it is higher than a natural infection,” Novak said. “And the antibodies that cause the vaccine are more potent than the natural infection, and the trajectory of the declining antibodies is pretty slow, so the level of antibodies is expected to last at least a year or longer, but we not ‘We will not know until we have completed the studies that are still going on.’
Grandparents also asked when they could see young grandchildren after being vaccinated, noting that children are said to be less susceptible to serious infections by the virus.
“We do not want to risk the possibility of transmitting the virus quietly, quietly and unconsciously to the baby,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said. “The baby can pass on to the parents and other people in the house. So we still have to take precautions when we mix households.”
But what if both people are completely vaccinated?
The complete vaccination is said to be two weeks after someone received his second dose of vaccine.
“To be honest with you, I think it’s pretty safe for two people who have been completely vaccinated – that is, two weeks after their second dose – people who have been completely vaccinated to expand their circle of friends to other people who have been completely vaccinated, and in a moderate way, “said dr. Emily Landon, Executive Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention at the University of Chicago Medicine. “I think it’s probably pretty reasonable. But I think it’s really important to keep most of our masks on.”
Read more here.