BREAKING: Illinois Covid Numbers ‘Raging Out Of Control,’ Lockdown Coming Soon?
BREAKING NEWS: Illinois covid-19 numbers are raging out of control despite all mitigations, causing some to call for even stronger restrictions and a potential lockdown and closure of schools statewide.
Over the previous three weeks, the state has seen a massive surge of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, according to Illinois Department of Health numbers, and the latest data released today showed a spike beyond those numbers.
Illinois has averaged 4,618 new cases of coronavirus per day over the last seven days, according to the latest IDPH statistics, representing an incredible 122% increase in daily cases over the last month. There are currently 1,958 patients currently hospitalized due to COVID in the state, the highest number recorded since September.
In addition, the number of new daily covid cases is the worst it’s been since January.
As the numbers surge, so do the calls by some to enact even harsher mitigations statewide, with some even calling for another shutdown, particularly of schools.
Some schools have already opted to shut down due to the surge, as one district near Chicago shut down its elementary schools for two weeks due to the massive surge. In the Quad-Cities, Edison Junior High in Rock Island is still closed down due to rising covid cases and isn’t expected to open until next week at the earliest. Near Peoria downstate, Princeville schools shut down all athletics due to spiking covid cases.
“As we’ve moved indoors, we haven’t maybe taken our masks indoors with us. So a lot of unmasked indoor gatherings are likely part of the problem,” Ezike said. “Of course, COVID is so complicated. It’s been throwing us curveball after curveball.”
The cases seem to be particularly hitting the unvaccinated especially hard.
Only 0.044% of vaccinated individuals in the state have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those, 981, or 0.013% of the vaccinated population, have died as a result of the virus.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady didn’t offer any insight on whether or not there would be further mitigations in a recent press conference, but did offer that the latest wave was being driven by those unvaccinated.
“Unvaccinated Chicagoans of all ages are more likely to be hospitalized,” she said.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker echoed that sentiment.
“This is largely a pandemic of the unvaccinated at this point,” Pritzker said in a recent press conference. “Over 97 percent of all the new cases we’re seeing are from people who have not had the vaccine.”
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