Page 5 - Jonathan Pinsky News Today

/PRNewswire/ -- To date, 185 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with one of three vaccines: the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or...

As U.S. Food and Drug Administration experts debate offering a third Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine shot to bolster immunity against COVID-19, Illinois presents a steep contrast in inoculation rates against the deadly virus. Out of 102 counties, DuPage leads with 71% of residents ages 18 to 64 who are fully vaccinated, compared to downstate Alexander with just 17%.

Updated 7/30/2021 7:05 PM Sixteen months into the pandemic, COVID-19 case counts in Illinois are higher than they were a year ago. Hospitalizations and deaths are lower than at this time last year, however, with health officials crediting the vaccines.   Now, the state is averaging 1,669 new cases a day for the week, Illinois Department of Public Health records show. During the same seven-day period last year, the state was averaging 1,424 new cases each day. The states seven-day case positivi...

Delta variant continues quick spread across Illinois Only about 10% of the states positive COVID-19 tests are sent to labs for genomic sequencing to determine what strain of the virus caused the infection. Associated Press/March 4   During the past week, 279 new variant cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Illinois.w Illinois Department of Public Health researchers said Friday that 72% of the new variant cases -- 200 in all -- were the highly contagious delta variant.   Whil...

Updated 6/29/2021 6:41 PM With the COVID-19 Delta variant "a growing presence in Illinois," officials warned vaccinated people to wear masks indoors when conditions merit it and urged shot-hesitant residents to get inoculated rather than gamble with a highly contagious strain of a deadly virus. The number of Delta variant cases identified by the Illinois Department of Public Health reached 103 Tuesday, a 61% increase in two weeks compared with 64 cases on June 15.   "Looking at the speed at wh...

Updated 6/28/2021 10:30 PM Nearly 100 COVID-19 cases have resulted from an outbreak at a summer youth camp in west central Illinois, mostly involving unvaccinated people, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Monday. So far, 85 campers and adult staff members with Crossing Camp in Rushville have contracted the virus. Eleven additional COVID-19 cases occurred when a couple of camp participants attended a conference nearby in mid-June.   All campers and adults were eligible for COVID...

Jun. 11—When COVID-19 took hold more than a year ago, the restrictions put in place to stop its spread took a big toll on Denise Stephen's lifestyle — particularly her ability to go to work or church. When almost all of those constraints are lifted Friday, it will be a happy day, the Naperville resident said. "I am very glad we are getting out of this, it is long overdue," Stephen said ...

Any need for vaccine booster would be much less hectic, health officials say Travis Siebrass Daily Herald and David C.L. Bauer Journal-Courier May 25, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Illinois public health officials say “if or when booster doses” of the COVID-19 vaccine are recommended, the rollout probably won’t involve mass vaccination sites or daylong clinics at large venues. “We have developed a robust vaccine delivery system to deliver the current COVID-19 vaccines, including doctors’ ...

Updated 5/25/2021 6:25 AM Average daily cases of COVID-19 have dropped by nearly 43% in May compared to April, Illinois Department of Public Health data showed Monday. New COVID-19 infections this month are averaging 1,724 in contrast with the daily tally of 3,015 in April.   However, an average of 28 people have died daily from the virus in May, about six more individuals a day than in April, or a nearly 27% increase. The two numbers might seem contradictory, but COVID-19 fatality trends typi...

Updated 5/14/2021 10:15 PM Numerous entities -- pharmacies, schools, cinemas, religious organizations and more -- said Friday they will continue to require face masks to prevent spread of COVID-19 in the short term, despite the federal government relaxing rules for fully vaccinated Americans. That cautious approach comes amid two days of churn and some confusion after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and President Joe Biden announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear...