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To:
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Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members
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From:
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Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805
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Re:
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – State Mask Mandate to be Relaxed by the End of February; Update on Vaccinations; Update on COVID-19 Cases
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State Mask Mandate to be Relaxed at the End of the Month: Due to COVID-19 case and hospitalizations reaching its fastest rate of decline, Governor Pritzker announced today that the state mask mandate will begin to be lifted in some situations beginning February 28. The mask mandate will continue for schools for the time being, even though a Sangamon County judge issued a suspension of that mandate. The state fully intends to continue seeking an appeal of this recent ruling. The mask mandate also remains in place for healthcare and other congregate settings and other places under federal mandates such as public transit, airports, and airplanes.
Other mandates remain in effect in Cook County, the city of Chicago and other locales. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has hinted she will ease up on requirements such as the rule mandating that anyone dining at a restaurant indoors or going to the gym or theater must provide proof they have been vaccinated.
Update on Vaccinations: A total of 20,775,048 vaccines have been administered to Illinois residents. The average number of vaccines administered daily is 23,504. According to the state’s vaccine administration data, here’s how the rest of the state’s population by age groups ranks in terms of vaccinations:
5 years of age and older – 71% fully vaccinated; 80% one dose administered
12 years of age and older – 75% fully vaccinated; 84% one dose administered
18 years of age and older – 76% fully vaccinated; 86% one dose administered
65 years of age and older – 87% fully vaccinated; 95% one dose administered
The state has also updated its COVID-19 website containing current locations and other pertinent information on one webpage.
Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is now reporting 2,982,083 positive tests of COVID-19 in Illinois since the pandemic began, which is an average increase of 8,198 positive tests per day since last reported here 14 days ago on January 26. In total, 52,372,521 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average of 143,803 per day since January 26.
The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions in the last 14 days is at 5.7%, which is a 5.5% decrease over the last 2 weeks. You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations, and other metrics at this link.
Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 31,679 deaths since the pandemic began, an average increase of 90 per day since January 26.
You can also check where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak.
For information on other states and countries, John Hopkins University has developed this website that provides invaluable resources at a one-stop location detailing testing and tracing trends, timelines of COVID-19 policies, vaccinations, and interactive maps.
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