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Hospitalizations decrease by 50% and
ICU capacity increased by 24%
SPRINGFIELD – Due to the continued decrease in COVID-19
cases and hospitalizations, and increase in available ICU beds, the
Illinois indoor mask requirement will end Monday, February 28, 2022, at
12:01 a.m. Since the Governor announced his plan to lift the indoor
mask requirement, the number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 has
been cut in half and the number of ICU beds available increased by
24%. Illinois’ weekly COVID-19 case rate has also decreased by 70%,
More than 8 million people in Illinois are fully vaccinated
with an average of approximately 16,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered each
day, including more than 4,600 first doses daily.
“Throughout this pandemic, we’ve taken action to save lives
and keep our economy open – and I’m proud that Illinoisans have done the
hard work that has our made our state a leader in the Midwest,” said
Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, our hospitals are much better positioned
to handle emergencies and more than half of all eligible adults have been
boosted; this is the progress we needed to make to remove our state indoor
masking requirements. As individuals, I encourage everyone to make the best
choices going forward to protect your health, along with that of your
family and community – and most importantly to treat each other with
kindness and compassion.”
“We are now entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic
and while our focus continues to be on preventing severe illness and
ensuring our health care systems aren’t overwhelmed, we are also looking
forward to how we will coexist with COVID-19,” said Illinois
Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We each have a role
to play in staying healthy and we have many tools that can help protect us
from severe illness due to COVID-19. Our tools include readily available
safe and effective vaccines, monoclonal antibody and oral antiviral
treatments, at-home testing, as well as the personal health actions people
can take such as avoiding crowds, hand washing, and continued mask wearing
as may be recommended.”
Masks will still be required where federally mandated
(including on public transit), health care facilities, congregate settings,
long term care facilities, and daycare settings. Additionally, private
businesses and municipalities may choose to implement their own masking
requirements. Schools are urged to continue following state and federal guidance
to help keep students and staff safe in the classroom. The Governor will
review the results of lifting the indoor mask mandate before making any
announcement regarding the school mask mandate.
In the last four months of 2021 following the reinstatement of
Illinois’ mask mandate on August 30, 2021, Illinois had fewer COVID-19
hospitalizations per capita and fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita than the
entire Great Lakes region. In the same period, Illinois out-tested the
entire Midwest on a per capita basis, providing residents with
significantly better access to testing than any of its neighbors. Even
with a much greater testing capacity, Illinois saw fewer reported COVID-19
cases per capita during this time than neighbors such as Iowa and
Missouri.
Illinois remains a standout in the Midwest for its vaccination
rates. Illinois is home to the highest percentage of residents who
have received a COVID-19 vaccine as well as the highest percentage of
vaccinated and fully vaccinated 5–17-year-olds.
Vaccines continue to be readily available at pharmacies across
the state, many local health departments, doctor offices, federally
qualified health centers, and other locations. To find a COVID-19
vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
Update on State Deployments for
Testing, Vaccines, and Health Care
The State coordinated almost 8,000 mobile vaccination clinics
providing more than 243,000 vaccinations to some of our most vulnerable
residents (long-term care residents, minority communities, schools, people
experiencing homelessness, immigrant communities, and many others). Of
those clinics, the State partnered with community groups and non-profits on
more than 2,000 clinics with a specific focus on equity and administered
more than 86,100 vaccines. Almost 75,000 vaccinations were provided at
the more than 2,000 school/youth vaccination clinics. These mobile
vaccination clinics are one reason Illinois is a leading state for COVID-19
vaccinations.
Because of the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines,
the State will begin winding down its mobile vaccination clinics over the
next month as federal funding decreases. Schools, organizations, and
other groups wanting to host a vaccination clinic should file an
application within the coming weeks at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/vaccinationclinics.html.
During the Delta and Omicron surges the State provided health
care staffing support to hospitals and other health care facilities across
the state. At the peak of the Omicron surge, Illinois had nearly 3,000
nurses and other health care workers deployed across the state to keep our
health care system operating. But as the number of people in hospitals
with COVID-19 falls back to pre-surge levels and with federal funding
reimbursement for this support ending April 1, the State will draw down its
emergency staffing support over the next month and work with our public and
private partners as they retake responsibility for their long-term staffing
needs.
Testing has also become much more readily available with
at-home tests at many pharmacies and the ability to order free COVID-19
tests at covidtest.gov. The 10
state community-based testing sites are currently open three days a week,
but as we continue to see the number of cases and the demand for testing decrease
- and we head into summer when we’ve seen the fewest number of cases,
hospitalizations, and deaths, mass testing locations will close in favor of
more cost-effective testing options.
COVID-19 Treatment Availability
COVID-19 treatments can also help decrease the burden on
hospitals. While vaccination and boosting are still the best
protection against severe illness due to COVID-19, there are currently
two monoclonal antibody treatments, sotrovimab and bebtelovimab,, two
oral antivirals, Paxlovid and molnupiravir, and a
preventive drug, Evusheld,
available across Illinois. Talk with your health care provider as soon
as possible after testing positive for COVID-19 to see if you are eligible
for one of these treatments and to get a prescription. You can use
the COVID-19 Outpatient Therapy
Locator to find a location to fill your
prescription.
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