Pritzker says state ‘in decent shape’ to further reopening as vaccination pace slows
By TIM KIRSININKAS
Capitol News Illinois
tkirsininkas@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Monday the state could enter the “bridge” phase to greater reopening as soon as next week, while the state’s vaccination rate continues to drop.
Speaking at a news conference at Providence Hospital in Chicago, Pritzker said Illinois is nearing the necessary metrics to reach the next phase of reopening as case numbers stabilize.
“It looks to me, if you look at all the hospital admissions data, like we’re in decent shape and moving exactly as I would hope we would toward the bridge phase,” Pritzker said Monday.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, new COVID-19 hospital admissions, total COVID-19 patients in the hospital, and death rates all must be stable or decreasing before the state can move to the next phase with more relaxed capacity restrictions and allowing some large-scale events to resume with safety measures in place.
Pritzker said hospitalization growth is the key metric the state monitors which would allow the state to move forward to the bridge phase.
As of Monday, the IDPH website showed an increasing trend for the overall number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 with 1,963 people hospitalized as of Sunday, although new admissions for COVID-19-like illnesses were reported as stable, averaging 205 new daily admissions as of Friday. That was down from 240 on April 16.
Of the 1,963 individuals in Illinois who were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday night, 479 patients were in intensive care unit beds and 249 were on ventilators.
The state has reached all other benchmarks to trigger a larger-scale reopening, including at least 70 percent of the state’s population aged 65 and older receiving at least one dose of a vaccine, and at least half of all residents aged 16 and older receiving at least one dose.
The state had administered a total of 9.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Monday, with 4.1 million residents, or 32 percent of the state’s population, fully vaccinated.
A total of 16,920 doses were administered statewide Sunday, bringing the seven-day rolling average for vaccines administered to 78,440, down from a peak seven-day average of 132,979 recorded April 12.
Public health officials announced a total of 2,049 new COVID-19 cases and 28 additional deaths Monday. The statewide seven-day rolling case positivity rate stood at 3.4 percent Monday.
Pritzker credited Illinois residents for continuing to follow public health guidelines as a major reason for the state’s low positivity rate.
“Nobody’s forcing anybody to do it, but this is about doing what’s best for your own family, for yourself and for your community, and I think most people in Illinois have stepped up to the plate. I’m so, so proud of our state,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker also added that preparations for some large-scale events such as the Illinois State Fair are underway, signaling the potential for a wider reopening and larger-scale events to come in the future.
“We’ve obviously been doing all the planning that’s necessary for it, you know, barring some highly unusual event occurring that would prevent a large gathering,” Pritzker said.
“(IDPH) is working with the Department of Agriculture to make sure that people will be safe, so I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun this summer,” he added.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Stickney’s St. Pius X Parish to merge with St. Leonard
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong St. Pius X Parish in Stickney will merge with St. Leonard Parish in Berwyn this summer, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, announced last month. The merger is part of the archdiocese’s ongoing Renew My Church initiative and will take effect on July 1. The new parish will have one…
La Grange twins are Chick Evans scholars
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Long hours spent in the La Grange Country Club’s caddie shack – killing time by reading books or playing cards as they wait to be called to duty – have paid off for a brother and sister. Through the past four years, Caroline and Casey Hart honed their skills, learned…
Fun from above
Spread the love While some folks see heavy snowfall and curse the skies, children in Clearing and Garfield Ridge seemed thrilled with last week’s winter windfall. Schools cancelled classes, and kids like Garfield Ridge sisters Makayla, 10, and 6-year-old Mia Hernandez grabbed their plastic sleds and rode ripples of white all afternoon on a large…
Brother Rice’s 11-game win streak ends with loss to Leo
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer In seemingly a blink of an eye, Brother Rice picked up as many losses as it had all season. The Crusaders headed into last weekend’s action with a 21-2 record and was 10-0 in the Chicago Catholic League Blue. But Friday night, they suffered a 56-50 setback to…
Area Sports Roundup: Six area girls bowling teams headed to sectionals
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer Six area girls bowling teams are headed to sectionals. Reavis and Stagg won IHSA regional titles last Saturday, and four other teams have advanced to this weekend’s action. Reavis won its own regional at Palos Lanes in Palos Hills with a 5,378 in six games, well ahead of…
Marist cheerleaders takes 2nd in state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff writer After Marist’s cheerleaders watched a video of their state finals performance on Feb. 5, there were some long faces and tears as the girls filed out of the video room and into the cooling-off room. After a long meeting, there were more long faces. “I’ve had better days,”…
Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School packs meals for needy during holidays
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Wishing everyone to have the best holiday season, Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School students packed meals for those in need before they went on Christmas break. The school, 5345 W. 99th St., Oak Lawn, hosted its annual Feed6 Meal Packaging event on December 4, where students gathered together, while socially distanced, with…
McCord shows off Stagg student artworks
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Stagg High School art students proudly had their work showcased at a local gallery. McCord Gallery & Cultural Center, 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park, featured the art of Stagg’s most creative until January 28. “Having my work as part of an art show in an art gallery like McCord is significant to…
No injuries when Metra train hits school bus in Orland Park
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong No children were injured Friday afternoon when their school bus stalled on railroad tracks in Orland Park and the bus was hit by a Metra commuter train. The Orland Fire Protection District responded to an emergency call Friday when a school bus from American School Bus Co. carrying students from…
Neighbors
Titanic memories haunt Worth Library
Spread the loveBy Kelly White This year marks the 112th anniversary of the Titanic’s fateful ship crossing. Bringing the ship back to life was the Worth Public Library on April 15 with a program called, The Haunted Titanic, with local historian Bob Trzeciak, who walked patrons through the history, the lasting impact, and why it…
Spring cleanup day in Bridgeview set for Saturday
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Any Bridgeview resident with clutter to clear will be busy Friday night, May 10. That’s when they will be putting all kinds of things on the parkway as the village prepares for its annual spring cleanup day set for Saturday, May 11. All items must be at the curb by…
Family of man killed in McCook struggling with his absence
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch On what would have been his 37th birthday, the family of Morales Ricardo Lopez gathered at his grave in Evergreen Park Cemetery. Lopez, of Blue Island, was gunned down in McCook early Feb. 17, leaving behind a widow and three children. His family, other relatives and friends gathered at his…
Southwest Symphony presents ‘American Song Book’
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Southwest Symphony Orchestra will perform “The American Song Book” this weekend at Trinity College in Palos Heights. The performance will feature Grammy nominated Helen Welch under the direction of David Crane at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Trinity Christian College’s Ozinga Auditorium. Welch will perform some of America’s best loved classics.…
Shoppers welcome back Evergreen Park Farmers Market
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Rain was forecast for the morning of May 2, but nothing could dampen the spirits of customers who dropped by the Evergreen Park Farmers Market. The large crowd that attended were instead greeted with mostly sunny skies. Beth Novotney, director of the Evergreen Park Office of Citizen Services that oversees…
Evergreen Park recognizes police for valor
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The Evergreen Park police have been cited for valor after several key arrests that occurred the past couple of months. Police Chief Michael Saunders requested commendations for the officers during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Monday night. Mayor Kelly Burke and the board applauded the efforts of the force.…
Hickory Hills police bid adieu and say welcome
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam The Hickory Hills Police Department bid a fond farewell to Lieutenant Glenn Tienstra and welcomed new Officer Daniel Balzhiser. On a memorable Thursday evening, April 25, city hall was filled with the warmth of community family, friends, officers, and council members, all gathered to joyfully celebrate Officer Balzhiser and respectfully…
Mother Mac unveils new lights and scoreboard
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Across the nation, women’s sports are on the rise in terms of viewership, enthusiasm, sponsorship and excitement. Mother McAuley is no stranger to the impact that women’s athletics has on the development of an individual, strengthening of a team and key skills and attributes developed along the way. South Side…
Cicadas in the park in Palos Park
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Cicadas are coming and the Village of Palos Park is ready. The village hosted its 31st annual Arbor Day Celebration on Sunday, May 5, themed, “The Wonder of Trees” at The Center in the Lodge, 12700 Southwest Highway, with featured speaker, Tricia Bethke of The Morton Arboretum who presented, “Cicadas…
Palos Heights SD 128 sees enrollment boom
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Over the past few years, Palos Heights School District 128 has experienced an explosive growth among incoming students. There has been a significant increase particularly at Indian Hill Early Learning Center, 12800 S. Austin Ave. Chippewa Elementary School, 12425 S. Austin Ave; Navajo Elementary School, 12401 S. Oak Park Ave;…