New COVID-19 daily infection averages nearly double in a week
Average caseloads of COVID-19 rose for the seventh day in a row, Illinois Department of Public Health data showed Monday.
On July 5, the seven-day average for new infections per day was 284.7 compared to the latest total of 559.6.
The state's positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is 1.7% based on a seven-day average, reflecting an upward trend.
The new numbers come as COVID-19 daily vaccinations dwindle, hitting an average of 17,288 on Sunday compared to 45,606 on June 11.
Educators are watching inoculation metrics carefully after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidelines Friday to allow fully vaccinated people to go without masks in schools. Masks still are required for unvaccinated individuals at schools, a stance the Illinois Department of Public Health endorsed.
The number of COVID-19 vaccine shots given to children ages 12 to 15 has reached 449,197, the state reported Monday. There are 659,053 individuals in that age bracket in Illinois, and more than 68% have received at least one dose since Pfizer/BioNTech Inc.'s two-shot vaccine was approved for the cohort May 10.
But children ages 11 and younger are not eligible for shots yet, and school districts are grappling with logistics for accommodating vaccinated and unvaccinated students this fall.
Lake County and DuPage County health officials said they're committed to helping districts figure it out.
"With an understanding of vaccination rates in each school district, guidance will include a layering of strategies such as masking of unvaccinated, distancing to the fullest extent possible, providing opportunities to improve vaccination rates and increased testing for COVID-19," Lake County spokeswoman Emily Young said.
The DuPage County Health Department "urges parents of school-aged children 12 years and older to get their children fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the beginning of the new school year," spokeswoman Stephanie Calvillo said. She noted there are more than 250 vaccination sites in DuPage, with location assistance at vaccines.gov.
New cases of COVID-19 totaled 1,592 Saturday through Monday, and 27 people died in that same period.
The number of COVID-19 shots administered Friday through Sunday reached 56,261. The seven-day average is 17,288.
The federal government has delivered 14,375,385 doses of vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December and 12,825,103 shots have been administered.
So far, 6,295,140 people - 49.4% of Illinois' population - have been fully vaccinated.
From Friday to Sunday, Illinois hospitals were treating an average of 433 patients with COVID-19.
Total cases statewide stand at 1,260,610, and 23,324 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.
The IDPH does not update COVID-19 statistics on the weekend.
Also Monday, the state reported that three individuals from Chicago, Springfield and Quincy won $100,000 each in the "All in for the Win," vaccine lottery. For drawing schedules, go to allin.illinois.gov.