Pritzker hopeful that worst of COVID-19 pandemic is over

Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Wednesday he hopes the nation’s top infectious disease expert is correct in that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Speaking to reporters during an event in Springfield, Pritzker said he would “hope and pray” that Dr. Anthony Fauci is correct in comments made this week that the United States has “transitioned into more of a controlled phase” of the pandemic.

“I would trust his opinion. I hope and pray that he’s accurate in that statement,” Pritzker said.

He noted Illinois health officials remain vigilant and continue to track the state’s COVID-19 trends.

As of Tuesday, 697 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down 11 from Monday and up 129 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 71 were in intensive care units, down 23 from Monday and up 10 from the prior week. Twenty-four percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, the same as the prior week.

There were 24 patients on ventilators, down nine from Monday and down five from the prior week.

Four Illinois counties, Champaign, DuPage, McLean and Piatt, are rated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having a “medium” risk of community spread.

IDPH reported 3,434 new COVID-19 cases and eight deaths on Wednesday. The new cases bring the state total to 3,128,134, while the death toll is 33,592.

The seven-day average for new cases on Wednesday was 3,070, up 510 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is seven, the same as the prior week.

The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 24.1, up four from the prior week.

About 81.3 percent of eligible Illinoisans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 72.9 percent are fully vaccinated.

Illinois vaccinators have administered 21,834,484 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,378,996 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 16,376.