ILLINOIS – Sixteen deaths were reported by COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, across the state on Tuesday. On Monday, the state recorded 5 deaths, the lowest number since July.
The latest deaths include:
- Champaign County: 1 man 40 years old, 1 man 60 years old, 1 man 80 years old
- Cook County: 1 man 70 years old, 1 man 80 years old, 1 woman 90 years old, 1 man 90 years old
- County Kane: 1 female 30 years old
- Lake County: 1 woman 60 years old, 1 woman 70 years old
- LaSalle County: 1 woman from the 80s
- Madison County: 1 60 year old man
- McHenry County: 1 man from the 80s
- Monroe County: 1 man from the 90s
- Rock Island County: 1 woman from the 90s
- Winnebago County: 1 60 year old man
In all, 20,781 Illinois residents have died from the virus since the first death was reported in the state almost a year ago.
Illinois surpassed the dismal 10,000 death mark on November 5, almost 8 months after the pandemic began. The following month, the state reported a record 238 deaths in a single day, and the next 10,000 deaths lasted just three months. Illinois crossed that threshold in February.
Although the number of cases is decreasing – the state’s positive test rate has dropped to 2.7 percent – new cases remain too high, officials say, and they caution residents to continue wearing masks and distance themselves from their neighbors until that more Illinoisans can get the vaccine.
The state registered an additional 1,510 new cases on Tuesday.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new guideline saying that it is okay for fully vaccinated individuals to meet without a mask with others who are fully vaccinated.
While even fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks in public to protect those who have not yet had the vaccines, the pace of vaccination is increasing across the state, and it won’t be long before things are back to normal, officials say.
On Tuesday, Illinois had received 4.18 million doses of the vaccine, in addition to another 414,900 as part of a partnership with a federal pharmacy. In total, 3.46 million doses were administered at a rate of about 92,000 per day in the past week.
But officials say that many people can still die if the mitigations become lax. As of Monday night, 1,177 Illinoisans were still in the hospital with COVID-19, including 263 in intensive care and 132 in ventilators.