IDPH: More than 637,000 new COVID-19 boosted administered in Illinois

Vaccinators have administered more than 637,000 doses of the new COVID-19 booster vaccines in Illinois, according to the Department of Public Health.

The agency announced Friday that about 144,200 doses of the boosters, which provide extra protection against the omicron subvariants, were given last week, up more than 5,000 from the prior week.

“With fall underway, it’s vitally important for everyone to protect themselves from both COVID-19 and the flu,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, who received his booster and flu shot during an event Friday in East St. Louis.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said more than 144,000 booster doses were administered to Chicagoans as of Oct. 5. Of those, 60 percent went to white residents, 15 percent to Black residents, 13 percent to Latinx residents and 8 percent to Asian residents.

“We certainly have a long way to go,” CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said in a statement. “The number of boosters administered is not where I would like us to be heading into the fall and winter, when we typically see a surge in all respiratory viruses including COVID and flu.”

There were 11,447 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Illinois last week, a 4.6 percent increase from the prior week. There were 62 deaths reported last week.

The new cases bring the state’s total to 3,773,667. There have been 35,073 deaths.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 1,635, up 71 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths was nine, the same as the prior week.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 12.8, up 0.5 from the prior week.

As of Thursday, 929 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down six from Wednesday and up 30 from the prior week.

None of Illinois’ 102 counties are at a “high” community level of COVID-19, the level at which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people mask indoors in public spaces. Fourteen counties are at a “medium” risk level.

According to CDC data, nearly 93 percent of COVID-19 cases in the Midwest between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 were BA.4, BA.4.6 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.