ILLINOIS (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Governor Pritzker says he is unfazed by continuing protests against his efforts to combat the continuing spread of the Coronavirus across Illinois.
While Governor Pritzker was holding a news conference at the Thompson Center about increasing hospitalizations across Illinois because of COVID-19, a noisy crowd was outside the building, protesting mask mandates and efforts to get more people vaccinated.
The Governor said his appeals are not to them.
He said he’s not trying to talk to people who ignore science. His aim is to use facts to persuade people who are unsure if they should be vaccinated.
"The people who are the audience for what we are saying are people who have been a little bit hesitant," he explained.
"They've been concerned. They read something on Facebook that they're not sure if it's true."
He’s hoping loved ones can help convince those people too. He said the fact that more people are getting vaccinated is proof the effort is working.
But he acknowledged, people pushing misinformation are finding their audience too.
Pritzker said the latest surge in Coronavirus cases across Illinois is forcing hospitals to take extra steps to keep from being overwhelmed.
"We have entered the third year of this pandemic and our hospitals and healthcare workers continue to care for their patients under extraordinarily challenging circumstances," he said.
"They are under tremendous strain and I don't know how much they can withstand."
Just last week, he asked hospitals throughout the state to consider postponing non-urgent surgeries to preserve hospital care and beds that might be needed for the still growing number of COVID-19 patients.
Rush University Medical Center President Dr. Omar Lateef was among hospital officials who joined Pritzker at the Thompson Center to say they’re doing more than that. He said one of Rush's lobbies has been turned into an emergency room.
Pritzker joined the health officials in pointing out such steps wouldn’t be necessary if more people were vaccinated and wearing masks:
Some 90 percent of those now hospitalized with COVID are unvaccinated. Pritzker said he won’t tell hospitals what to do, but is urging them to reduce or halt unnecessary surgeries to ease pressure on their capacity during this surge in COVID-19 cases.
And A.J. Wilhelmi, president and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospitals Association, said they’re responding.
"Illinois's hospitals and the state are working very closely together with the state to preserve the integrity of our healthcare infrastructure as we have since the very beginning of this pandemic."
Highland Park Hospital President Gabrielle Cummings said the actions go beyond suspending elective surgeries as her institution’s doing. They are also shifting some care to "tele-health," among other measures.
All the hospital officials joined the governor in urging more people to get vaccinated.
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