CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Despite having slightly lower coronavirus transmission numbers in recent days and being scheduled to receive the vaccine next week, Illinois isn’t out of the woods regarding its battle with COVID-19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned on Monday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 8,691 new cases, which is on the lower end when compared to the double-digit daily transmission rates that had been reported in recent weeks.
“To be clear, the numbers still have a long way to go to move away from what could reasonably be called the danger zone. In other words, a surge on top of a surge that national experts have said might define the holiday season is still the focus our attention,” Pritzker said during his daily coronavirus press briefing.
Related
The IDPH reported 90 people died from the disease on Monday, which is also lower than the state’s 152 coronavirus-related deaths per day. However, that current daily death average is up about 35 deaths than the “worst rate that reached back in the spring,” Pritzker during his Monday coronavirus press briefing.
There also is still a chance that people who contracted the virus during the Thanksgiving holiday could be hospitalized, Pritzker explained.
For this reason, Pritzker and IDPH head Dr. Ngozi Ezike stressed that people plan smaller, more intimate holiday gatherings this year.
“These next four weeks may be the most crucial months of this entire pandemic,” Pritzker said.
The IDPH has reported a total of 787,573 coronavirus-related cases and 13,343 deaths since the pandemic’s start. The 90 deceased reported on Monday include a female teenager, a woman in her 20s, a woman in her 30s, men in their 40s, men and women in their 50s as well as those over age 60, Ezike said.
“[COVID-19} can be a deadly disease for all ages,” she said.
Related
Across the state, approximately 75% of staff hospital beds are currently in use. As of Sunday night, 5,190 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,123 patients were in the intensive care unit and 648 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6 is 10.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from Nov. 30 through Dec. 6 is 11.9%.
Pritzker said it’s “a good sign” that the state’s positivity rate hasn’t increased dramatically but “it’s not a good sign” because it hasn’t substantially fallen either.
In recognition of National Influenza Week, Ezike also suggested Illinoisans get flu shots to avoid a “twindemic” where flu numbers spike during this pandemic.