Thread by @BauerJournalism

Gov. JB Pritzker has a COVID-19 update for Illinois at 1:30 p.m. I'll follow.

Follow for updates and let me know if you have questions.

Yesterday's update for Chicago: blockclubchicago.org/2022/01/11/has…

Pritzker: With record hospitalizations, priority is making vaccinations, boosters and masks widely available.

Pritzker: "This current wave of COVID is causing more people to get sick than ever before in the pandemic." Vast majority of hospitalizations, deaths are among unvaccinated folks.

"But as difficult as this moment is, there will be an end to it."

Pritzker: To expand staffed hospital beds, 2,048 health care workers have been deployed across the state. 919 are on site supporting hospitals hit hard by COVID. Another 552 will arrive at hospitals by "next Friday."

Pritzker: Crisis teams have 237 health care workers in the field already, and another 340 will arrive over next 10 days.

Pritzker: Just today, a dozen additional personnel are beginning to work in the Rockford region. That's help being provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
State gov't has had t be innovated and agile to find creative solutions to maintain health care capacity.

Pritzker: Out-of-state health care workers can keep working here. Doctors who received medical training in another country can provide assistance to PAs here in a medical system.

Pritzker: "The best place for kids right now is in the classroom. And I'm so pleased that hundreds of thousands of Chicago student are returning to schools with their teachers."

Pritzker: His admin has provided testing, vaccine, etc. resources to schools in Chicago and throughout Illinois.

Children & teachers belong in schools, in a health environment.

Pritzker: A sticking point in Chicago was testing. His admin looked everywhere for testing resources.

State delivered tests "promptly on Monday so they could take that issue off the table."

Pritzker: State has held 1,645 on-site vaccine clinics in schools and day camps, with another 350 scheduled. Provided 3.8 million masks to school staff and student. Sent more than 1 million rapid tests into school communities.

Pritzker urges vaccines, boosters. Says fully vaccinated Illinoisans should talk to unvaccinated folks.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike: It's too soon to tell if we've hit peak of the Omicron surge.

"Unfortunately, right now, today, the hospitals are bearing the brunt. 9% of hospital ICU beds are available" right now in Illinois hospitals — and that's for *everyone* with *any* ailment.

Ezike: We're making it difficult for people who have a heart attack, are in a car crash, etc., "any kind of medical emergency, we're threatening the ability of those people to get the care they need."
...

More than 7,100 people are in Illinois hospitals with COVID-19. Over 80% are unvaccinated.

In Illinois, someone who is not vaccinated is 11 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID than someone who is vaccinated and boosted.

Ezike: "We need to get vaccinated. ... We need to get boosted. We need to continue masking. Continue testing. We should come together and do what's right for our greater good."

Ezike: We have never had this many COVID-19 patients in Illinois hospitals.

"This is the absolute highest number, and it's not just by a couple."