Chicago’s long-term care facilities have more than half the vaccines needed to inoculate all residents and employees, the Chicago Department of Public Health said on Wednesday.
Of the total 59,020 doses needed to vaccinate everyone in places like nursing centers, 30,600 doses of Moderna vaccine have already been distributed, a spokeswoman said.
In total, the city received 132,525 doses of the vaccine by Wednesday, of which 24,375 doses will be delivered on January 4 as the second injection, the public health department said.
This week, 21,450 doses of Pfizer and 16,200 doses of Moderna were sent to Chicago, which has been receiving weekly vaccine shipments since December 14, when “phase 1a” of the launch began.
Hospital staff were first and the next in line were asylum residents and staff, as well as outpatient health professionals. Essential frontline workers and residents 75 and older will take their turn at the end of February, officials said.
On Thursday, Illinois health officials announced 8,009 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 133 additional deaths, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 963,389 and the number of deaths across the state to 16,490 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Here’s what’s going to happen on Thursday with COVID-19 in the Chicago and Illinois area:
4:33 pm (Updated): Employees at the Milwaukee suburban clinic unknowingly gave 57 vaccines with deliberately damaged vaccines; arrested pharmacist
Authorities arrested a suburban pharmacist from Milwaukee on Thursday, suspected of deliberately spoiling hundreds of doses of the coronavirus vaccine, removing it from the refrigerator for two nights.
The Grafton Police Department said the former Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist was arrested on suspicion of danger, tampering with a prescription drug and criminal property damage. The department said in a press release that he was in prison. Police have not identified the pharmacist, claiming he has not yet been formally charged. Read more here. – Associated Press
15:59: Chicago’s restaurants drop plans for New Year’s Eve while the city commits to keeping a watch: ‘I made the difficult decision. It’s a drag. ‘
After a tough 2020, Stephanie Cook, owner of the Houndstooth Saloon, felt a twinge of optimism about New Year’s Eve while planning a shrimp and crab at will in the bar’s heated outdoor booths.
Based on what she described as “a rumor that the city would increase seats” for the holiday, Cook envisioned a final seat from 9:30 pm to 12:30 pm, with tickets sold with special value for when 2021 arrived – up to $ 125 from $ 100 for advance reservations.
The problem? The rumors were not true. The city’s COVID-19 restrictions that require restaurants and bars to close until 11 pm remain in effect – even on New Year’s Eve. Read more here. – Josh Noel
12:10: 8,009 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 133 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Thursday announced 8,009 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 133 additional deaths, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 963,389 and the number of deaths across the state to 16,490 since the beginning of the pandemic.
The authorities also reported 99,426 new tests in the past 24 hours. The statewide seven-day continuous positivity rate for cases as a share of total testing was 7.7% for the period ended on Wednesday.
9:33 am: When a suburban pharmacist lost his job at Walgreens during the pandemic, the community he served for generations came to the rescue
Eddie Levin worked as a pharmacist at Glencoe and Winnetka for about 50 years. But when he lost his job at Walgreens during the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought he would lose his home.
He went on to plan to sell some of his stuff, but was persuaded by friends to post about his need for a new job.
6:15 am: Here’s how not to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chicago
The following is a reminder issued by the City of Chicago on Thursday about pandemic regulations in effect in late 2020.
Events of any kind are prohibited and residents should not receive guests into their homes unless they are essential workers. Meetings in hotel rooms, event spaces, banquet halls or shared house rentals are prohibited. According to mitigation measures across the state, eating and drinking is prohibited in bars and restaurants, and these establishments must close until 11 pm for outdoor service and collection and delivery of alcoholic beverages.
The city says the Department of Business and Consumer Protection will apply these requirements during New Year’s Eve and the weekend. Violations can result in fines up to $ 10,000 and closing deals.
Meanwhile, the Cook County Department of Public Health urged people to postpone travel and avoid crowded indoor spaces with insufficient ventilation. Pandemic habits, such as wearing a mask, staying at 1.8 m in social distance and washing your hands frequently, must be maintained.
“We are all in this together, and if we do it right, we can get back to normal much more quickly,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, senior medical officer in the department.
6 am: Pandemic and civil unrest probably contributed to a 50% increase in homicides in Chicago in 2020, experts say
In a year marked by a deadly pandemic and shaken by civil unrest over policing in America, Chicago suffered a level of violence in 2020 that reversed recent progress, with homicides increasing by more than 50%, according to official statistics.
As of Sunday, Chicago reported 762 homicides this year, a 55% jump from the same period in 2019, when 491 people in the city were murdered, according to official Chicago police data. It is one of the biggest increases year after year in the city’s recent history.
The total number of shootings this year has also grown sharply. That number increased 53%, from 2,120 to 3,237, according to police information.
City leaders and experts say the increase in violence was probably a by-product of more than one factor. The spread of the coronavirus forced an economic paralysis and order of stay at home, exacerbating the economic problems in some neighborhoods and limiting some social services. The killings of black people by police officers have led to national recognition of racial issues and, in some cases, have generated instability across the city and increased police distrust, undermining their ability to count on the help of community members.
5 am: Wisconsin health system says vaccine deliberately spoiled worker
A Wisconsin health care system said on Wednesday that 500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine that had to be discarded after they were not refrigerated now appear to have been deliberately damaged by an employee.
Aurora Medical Center reported for the first time about the spoiled doses on Saturday, and said they were accidentally left out overnight by an Aurora Medical Center employee in Grafton.
In a statement late on Wednesday, Aurora said the official involved “acknowledged today that he intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration”.
Aurora’s statement said they had dismissed the employee and referred the matter to the authorities for further investigation.
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