Illinois reports 1,143 new COVID-19 cases — lowest daily count since July
CHICAGO — Illinois officials on Monday reported 1,143 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19. That’s the lowest case count since 1,076 cases were reported July 28, although the new cases resulted from a relatively small batch of 42,234 tests.
The number of Illinois residents who have been fully vaccinated — receiving both of the required two shots — reached 835,597, or 6.56% of the total population. Over the past seven days, an average of 77,876 vaccinations have been administered daily, with 50,897 doses given on Sunday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago expects a shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s new one-shot vaccine, giving the city a boost in the fight against COVID-19.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Lightfoot said she doesn’t know how many doses of the newly authorized vaccine the city will be getting to start. But, she said, the city “will put it to work as soon as we get it.”
Meanwhile, the saliva-based COVID-19 test developed by University of Illinois researchers has obtained federal emergency use authorization, a highly anticipated stamp of approval that confirms its accuracy and enables broader distribution across the state.
The test, known as covidSHIELD, appeared on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s online list of approved molecular diagnostic tests on Monday.
Also on Monday, Chicago Public Schools opened to the most students since the pandemic began last March.
Up to 37,000 kindergarten through fifth graders were expected to resume in-person classes, part time, on Monday, though actual turnout has generally been lower than the number of students who chose the in-person option.
Concerns about both the reopening plan and about the quality and equity of remote learning are among the reasons some CPS parents indicated on social media that they were participating in a “sick-out.”
Private schools are having their own reopening issues. Parents at the University of Chicago Lab School are demanding a return to full in-person, citing mental health, social isolation and a reduction in education quality with remote learning.
