Update on Vaccinations: A total of 14,527,925 vaccines have been administered to Illinois residents. The average number of vaccines administered daily is 22,497.  According to the state’s vaccine administration data, 55.18% of the state’s overall population have been fully vaccinated with DuPage County still leading the state with over 65% of its population fully vaccinated. Almost 80% of the state’s residents who are 12 and up have received their first dose, with 62% being fully vaccinated.

Here’s how the rest of the state’s population by age groups ranks in terms of vaccinations:

12 years of age and older – 62% fully vaccinated; 80% one dose administered
18 years of age and older – 64% fully vaccinated; 81% one dose administered
65 years of age and older – 78% fully vaccinated; 95% one dose administered             

Additionally, the state has updated its COVID-19 website containing current locations and other pertinent information on one webpage.

Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is reporting 1,624,164 positive tests of COVID-19 in Illinois, an average increase of 2,692 positive tests per day since last reported here 7 days ago on September 22.  In total, 31,697,698 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average increase of 112,149 per day since September 22. 

The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions is at 2.4% since September 22.  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 24,934 deaths, an average increase of 33 per day since September 22.

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.

Also, IDPH has a case breakdown of the number of positive cases in Chicago and each county relative to the number of fatalities.  The IDPH website also now includes a breakdown of the cases under each zip code in the state.

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.

ACC Information on State COVID-19 Policy:

NORTHEAST

New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy said all child care workers and facility employees need to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 or face regular weekly testing. As of Sept. 24, all employees, students and children in a facility’s care ages two and up must wear masks indoors, with limited exceptions.

Connecticut
Governor Lamont signed an Executive Order to continue previously issued Executive Orders that were set to expire Sept. 30. These include Executive Order No. 13F and Executive Order No. 13G, which require long-term care facility workers, state hospital workers, state employees, preK through 12 school workers, and the staff of childcare facilities to get vaccinated, with test-out options for those not working in long-term care facilities and hospitals; and Executive Order No. 9, Section 1, and Executive Order No. 13A, which provide the authority to require masks in schools, childcare facilities, and certain higher-risk settings, as well as providing municipal authority to require universal masking in certain settings.

Massachusetts
Commonwealth reported that Members of the MA House of Representatives voted to mandate the vaccine for members, staff and officers. The vote was mostly party line and will cover 160 members and 450 staff. The order voted on charges the House Working Group with setting a date by which all members, officers, contractors, vendors, employees, and interns will have to provide proof of vaccination. Non vaccinated members or staff will be required to work remotely and cannot enter the State House.

The MA Education Commissioner extended a mask mandate for school children aged 5 and older at least through Nov. 1.

New York State
NYS Department of Health mandate requiring all healthcare workers (hospitals and long term care facilities) to have received at least their first vaccination shot by Sept. 27 or face termination went into effect this week. Officials say that 84% of the healthcare workforce (450,000 employees) is vaccinated; however NY Governor Hochul has said she will call in medically trained National Guard and healthcare workers from other states to fill shortages. Staff at other institutions including home care, hospice and adult care facilities must be vaccinated by Oct. 7.

A federal appeals court on Monday, Sept. 27 ruled that New York City can order all teachers and staff to get the vaccine, reversing a previous decision that had put the mandate on hold for educators.

New York State launched new website with dedicated information about booster doses, additional doses, eligibility, frequently asked questions, and resources for providers on-the-ground to support in the dissemination of information to eligible populations.

Rhode Island
In addition to some healthcare workers bring suit for injunction against the state’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers to maintain their license, the firefighters union, which represents EMTs, also has brought a lawsuit, arguing that the vaccine mandate violates collective bargaining. Healthcare workers are supposed to be vaccinated by Oct. 1; however the Health Commissioner earlier announced some workers would be able to keep their jobs if there would be risk to patient care due to staffing shortages.

MID-ATLANTIC

Delaware Governor Carney Announces Vaccine or Testing Requirement for Educators
On Tuesday, Governor Carney announced that educators, school staff, contractors, and volunteers who work in K-12 public and private schools must get vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. This requirement will go into effect on November 1, 2021.

Ohio Governor DeWine Announces Ohio Vax-2-School
On Thursday, Governor DeWine announced the Ohio Vax-2-School program, which will be open to Ohioans aged 12 to 25 years old and will be similar to the scholarship portion of the successful Vax-a-Million program.

Pennsylvania Governor Wolf Announces Vaccination Rates by Legislative District
On Monday, Governor Wolf announced the availability of COVID-19 vaccination rates by legislative district on the commonwealth’s open data portal, in addition to the zip code, county-level, and statewide vaccination data already available.

Virginia Governor Northam Announces All Virginia School Division Open for Full In-Person Instruction
On Thursday, Governor Northam announced that as of last week, all of Virginia’s 132 school divisions are now open for full-time, in-person learning.

MID-WEST

Hold on Iowa Ban on Mask Mandates Continues 14 More Days
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports that a federal judge on 9/27/21 extended the temporary restraining order that prevents the state of Iowa from prohibiting mask mandates in schools.  The order is extended through October 11.  Article The Des Moines Register reports that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Iowa over the past week declined slightly, but remained over 10,000 per week for the third consecutive week. Article

Michigan Promotes Booster Shot for Workers with High Exposure
The Michigan Department of Health and Humans Services (MDHHS) is urging certain Michiganders to get a booster shot if they received Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people at high risk of COVID-19 due to occupational or institutional exposure; people ages 65 and older; and individuals 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions. The Department issued a press release on 9/27/21 basing their recommendations on the US FDA approval of the booster, guidance from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and additional recommendations by the CDC director. Press Release

Nebraska Issues Health Order Halting Elective Surgeries
Due to pressures from COVID-19 to hospitals, the Department of Health and Human Services on 9/29/21 extended its Directed Health Measure that suspends inpatient Class D and Class E elective surgeries for all Acute Care, Critical Care, and Children’s Hospitals in Nebraska through October 31.  These are elective surgeries that can wait four weeks or longer without substantially changing a patient’s outcome.  The DHM explains that the current hospital capacity and healthcare resources are reaching near capacity and the DHM is necessary to preserve sufficient hospital capacity and health care resources to ensure public health needs can be met.  Article

SOUTH

Arkansas Allows State of Emergency to Expire
Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that he did not seek an extension to Arkansas’ COVID-19-related State of Emergency. The State of Emergency expired Monday 9/28. Click here to view an article with more information.

Louisiana Extends Mask Mandate for an Additional Month
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that he has extended the statewide mask mandate for an additional 28 days. The Order will now expire on October 27^th. The mandate was reinstated in August when COVID-19 cases first began to spike. Masks are required for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in in all public indoor locations (i.e. K-12 schools, colleges, restaurants, bars, gyms and retail stores). Click here to view the extended Order.

North Carolina Issues EO Concerning School Vaccination Proof Requirements
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper issued an Executive Order on 8/25 “extending, but not waiving, proof-of-immunization and health assessment documentation deadlines for school and child-care facilities”. This is to give families more time to receive their vaccinations. Click here to view the Governor’s press release.

South Carolina’s School Mask Ban Temporarily Overridden by Federal Judge
Earlier this week, a federal judge issued a ruling temporarily blocking South Carolina’s ban on mask mandates in schools. Click here to view an article with more information.

WEST

Alaska is pulling health care workers from the lower 48 as COVID-19 Cases Surge
Alaska contracted for an additional 400 health care workers from the lower 48 states. They are headed to Alaska to help with the surge in hospitalizations for COVID-19. Alaska is spending $87 million on this contracted labor, offering 90 days of help across the state (Read article).

1400 E. Touhy Ave, Suite 110
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Tel: (847) 544-5995
Fax: (847) 544-5999