Chicago updated its travel order Tuesday by adding new states to the higher-risk category and updating the test requirements for some.
Meanwhile, Illinois is revealing changes to its COVID mitigation plan as vaccinations continue across the state.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois today:
Coronavirus in Illinois: 2,587 new COVID cases, 9 deaths, 81,000 vaccinations
Illinois health officials reported 2,587 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus and nine additional deaths in the last day, along with nearly 82,000 vaccinations administered.
The newly reported coronavirus cases on Tuesday totaled 1,306,787 cases since the pandemic began. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the nine additional deaths increased the total death toll to 21,694.
In the past 24 hours, 47,506 coronavirus test specimens were returned to government laboratories, with more than 21.7 million now being carried out during the pandemic.
Read more here.
Lori Lightfoot Expect Fans for Bulls, Blackhawks vs. Season’s End
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed optimism at a news conference on Tuesday morning that fans will return to the United Center for Bulls and Blackhawks games by the end of each team’s 2020-21 season.
“We’re talking to the Bulls and the Blackhawks. I think they have very good plans,” Lightfoot said. “But these plans were rolled out at a time when we were having a boom. As Dr. (Allison Arwady) has already said and the numbers are turning out, we feel we may be flat and even daring to go down.
“Going down is the right time to have that conversation, so we’ll continue with that. And I expect there to be fans in the United Center before the end of the season.”
Read more here.
Chicago travel booking: 26 countries are now at higher risk, test requirements change
Chicago updated its emergency travel order Tuesday, setting out where states currently stand and setting guidelines on whether travelers should be quarantined or negative for COVID-19 prior to their arrival in the city.
The order now contains 26 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia below an ‘orange level’, which requires a negative test in quarantine or before arrival before arriving in Chicago. The lesser “yellow level” contains 23. In what level conditions does it fall depending on the rate adjusted for the population.
As of this week, those traveling from an orange list and unable to get a test before arriving in Chicago can use an airport test site or another test site upon arrival, officials said, adding that those tested on arrival . should still be in quarantine until they get a negative result.
Full updated list here.
Navy Pier announces phased reopening, celebratory fireworks
Following the temporary closure since Labor Day, Navy Pier will begin reopening in late April, representatives of the iconic Chicago attraction announced.
The initial phase, which begins on April 30, restores public access to the following: parking garages at Navy Pier, Polk Bros Park, Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion, the pier’s North and South Docks, Pier Park, certain rides and attractions , East End Plaza, tour boats and cruises, the new Sable Hotel, and certain restaurants at limited capacity.
To celebrate the reopening, Navy Pier is hosting a ten-minute fireworks display every Saturday in May at 9pm. Guests are allowed to view the exhibits of the open spaces of Navy Pier.
More details here.
Cook County will release 10K COVID vaccinations for vaccination on Tuesday
Cook County unveiled 10,000 COVID vaccine appointments Tuesday afternoon.
The appointments are released by noon and contain doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Meanwhile, Aurora has also announced that it is offering the first dose of Pfizer vaccine appointments between April 20 and 27 at its mass vaccination center, located at 970 N. Lake St.
Click here for more information on how to make an appointment.
Watch Live: Lightfoot, Chicago’s Top Document To Visit The Massacre Vaccination Clinic At Chicago State University
The Mayor of Chicago, Lightfoot, and Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, dr. Arwady joins Chicago State University President Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott for a visit to the CSU Mass Clinic.
The visit will be presented at 09:30 in the Emil & Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center.
A stream of the event will be streamed live in the player above.
Study: Single COVID vaccine dose insufficient for individuals with mild virus cases
Researchers from the North-West University’s Institute for Policy Research say a new study has shown that one dose of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines does not provide adequate protection against the virus in individuals who have previously had mild or asymptomatic cases of the disease, which means individuals are still advised to receive both doses of the vaccine.
According to a press release from the researchers, the study investigated whether individuals who had previously had mild or asymptomatic cases of the coronavirus could achieve a high level of immunity with only one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, instead of the recommended two. doses. .
The study did not examine the differences between mild COVID cases and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in terms of the robustness of immune response.
Read more here.
Illinois Reopening Plan: Regions Will Not Automatically Activate New Mitigans, Even If It Stats
The 11 regions of Illinois will not automatically see any COVID-19 mitigation, even if it meets the standards that previously automatically caused more restrictions, state health officials said Monday.
All the regions of the state remain in phase 4 of the state reopening plan, where it has been since February.
Previously, a region would move from phase 4 to level 1 mitigation if it had a test positivity rate of 8% for three consecutive days over a 14-day monitoring period (average 7 days) OR a sustained increase in the test positivity rate (7 -day average over 7 of 10 days) and either (A) Continuous increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average during 7 of 10 days), or (B) hospital and ICU bed crew <20% for three consecutive days (Average of 3 days).
But state health officials said Monday that regions will no longer automatically trigger Tier 1 mitigation, even if it meets the standards amid yet another increase in cases and hospitalizations.
“The plan to reduce the revival plan was designed before we had vaccines,” Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement Monday.
Details here.
Pfizer vs. Modern vaccines: side effects, efficacy and more
Since many Johnson & Johnson vaccine appointments are shifting to doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines following a recommended break in Illinois and Chicago, what can those expecting once on the single vaccine?
Although the break in the J&J vaccine is likely to be only temporary, the city and state have already switched many vaccination clinics and events to one of the available vaccinations.
White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said Sunday he believes the U.S. is likely to resume use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as early as this week, although it may be accompanied by a warning or restriction.
Here’s an outline of the Pfizer and Modern vaccines, their potential side effects and how effective they are.
Chicago COVID-Eligible for All Residents 16 and Older Monday
Chicago opens COVID-19 vaccination for all residents ages 16 and older on Monday, one week after the rest of Illinois.
The shift to phase 2 fitness comes as the city announces that more than 1 million residents have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine.
“The opening of vaccination to all adults in Chicago is another important milestone in our goal to vaccinate everyone and move past the pandemic to reopen our city safely,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Lightfoot also issued a reminder that the supply of vaccines remains in the city, encouraging people to stay patient.
Read more here.
Chicago High Schools Reopens After Union Approval
Chicago’s public high schools reopened on Monday for the first time since the country’s third largest school district was completely remote more than a year ago.
The Chicago Teachers Union announced Sunday that its members overwhelmingly approve of a reopening plan that includes helping students 16 and older and their families get COVID-19 vaccines, with priority given to certain zip codes hit hard by the pandemic. In agreement with Chicago Public Schools, there is also more room for educators to work remotely, as if they did not have self-students that day.
Read more here.
Coronavirus in Illinois: 2,666 new COVID cases, 10 deaths, 115,000 vaccinations
Illinois health officials have reported 2,666 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus and ten additional deaths in the last day, along with more than 115,000 vaccinations administered.
The newly reported coronavirus cases Sunday bring the state to 1,302,241 cases since the pandemic began. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the ten additional deaths increased the total death toll to 21,663.
In the past 24 hours, 70,106 coronavirus test samples were returned to government laboratories, with more than 21.7 million now being carried out during the pandemic.
The positive positivity across the country dropped on Sunday, with 4% of all tests achieving positive results. The positivity rate for individuals tested over the past seven days has also dropped to 4.7%, according to IDPH data.
Read more here.
What makes you more likely to get side effects from COVID vaccine?
Side effects are possible after receiving one or two doses of the coronavirus vaccines currently being administered in the US, but not everyone experiences it. Experiencing side effects is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is a sign that your body is reacting.
So what makes someone more likely to experience it than others?
Women and younger people are more likely to report side effects, experts say, while side effects can also vary depending on whether you have had coronavirus.
People will be more likely to report side effects after their second dose, the top doctor in Chicago said, reflecting reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it is not negative to get side effects, say health experts.
Read more here.