Monday’s new coronavirus circumstances mark the primary time since October that Illinois has seen a every day case depend within the hundreds.
That’s excellent news for the state. Right here’s what else occurred in coronavirus-related information.
Information
8:55 p.m. Illinois logs 1,747 new COVID-19 circumstances, 35 deaths
State public well being officers reported 1,747 new and possible circumstances of the coronavirus Monday in addition to 35 deaths, persevering with a pattern of decrease every day case counts at ranges Illinois hasn’t seen since early fall.
As of Sunday evening, 2,161 folks with COVID-19 had been reported to be in hospitals. Of these, 469 sufferers had been in intensive care models and 251 sufferers with COVID-19 had been on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity price for circumstances is 3.3%, well being officers stated.
Monday’s new circumstances mark the primary time since October the state has seen a every day case depend within the hundreds; on Oct. 6, the state logged 1,617 new circumstances.
The 35 deaths reported Monday are the bottom every day toll since Jan. 19, when the state reported 33 deaths. Monday’s figures convey the state’s loss of life toll to 19,668.
Learn Rachel Hinton’s full story right here.
7:18 p.m. CTU delegates meet to vote on CPS reopening proposal
The Chicago Lecturers Union’s governing physique is about to convene Monday night to determine whether or not to tentatively settle for the most recent college reopening phrases proposed by Chicago Public Faculties.
If the 600-member Home of Delegates approves a tentative deal, a rank-and-file vote among the many union’s 25,000 members would doubtless be held the subsequent day to formally finish the standoff with district officers and begin the resumption of in-person studying for as much as 67,000 college students.
Below the plan delegates will weigh at their 6 p.m. digital assembly, not less than 2,000 vaccine doses shall be supplied to preschool and particular schooling cluster program employees this week, with their college students scheduled to return to colleges Thursday. Kindergarten via fifth grade employees would return Feb. 22 adopted by their college students March 1; sixth to eighth grade employees would return March 1, and their college students return March 8. Highschool college students are additionally not at the moment scheduled to return in particular person.
If the deal is permitted, the town will start vaccinating 1,500 CPS staff every week at websites particularly for CPS staff later this month. Precedence shall be given to staff returning to work sooner, in addition to those that are at increased danger on account of age or demographics.
Reporter Nader Issa has the total story.
5:27 p.m. UN: ‘Regarding information’ vaccines could not work in opposition to variants
GENEVA — The top of the World Well being Group stated Monday the emergence of recent COVID-19 variants has raised questions on whether or not or not current vaccines will work, calling it “regarding information” that the vaccines developed to this point could also be much less efficient in opposition to the variant first detected in South Africa.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated at a media briefing that South Africa’s choice on Sunday to droop its vaccination marketing campaign utilizing the AstraZeneca vaccine is “a reminder that we have to do the whole lot we will to cut back circulation of the virus with confirmed public well being measures.”
He stated it was more and more clear that vaccine producers would want to tweak their current photographs to handle the continued genetic evolution of the coronavirus, saying booster photographs would almost definitely be essential, particularly since new variants of the virus are actually spreading globally and seem prone to turn out to be the predominant strains.
Learn the total story right here.
4:10 p.m. Vaccine drive positive factors pace, however maskless followers gasoline worries
The drive to vaccinate People in opposition to the coronavirus is gaining pace and newly recorded circumstances have fallen to their lowest stage in three months, however authorities fear that raucous Tremendous Bowl celebrations may gasoline new outbreaks.
Greater than 4 million extra vaccinations had been reported over the weekend, a considerably sooner clip than in earlier days, in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Almost one in 10 People have now obtained not less than one shot. However simply 2.9% of the U.S. inhabitants has been absolutely vaccinated, a good distance from the 70% or extra that consultants say have to be inoculated to beat the outbreak.
Newly confirmed infections have declined to a mean of 117,000 a day, the bottom level since early November. That may be a steep drop from the height of practically 250,000 a day in early January.
The variety of People within the hospital with COVID-19 has additionally fallen sharply to about 81,000, down from greater than 130,000 final month.
Learn the total story right here.
12:21 p.m. New variants increase fear about COVID-19 virus reinfections
Proof is mounting that having COVID-19 could not defend in opposition to getting contaminated once more with a number of the new variants. Folks can also get second infections with earlier variations of the coronavirus in the event that they mounted a weak protection the primary time, new analysis suggests.
How lengthy immunity lasts from pure an infection is without doubt one of the massive questions within the pandemic. Scientists nonetheless assume reinfections are pretty uncommon and often much less severe than preliminary ones, however current developments all over the world have raised issues.
In South Africa, a vaccine examine discovered new infections with a variant in 2% of people that beforehand had an earlier model of the virus.
In america, a examine discovered that 10% of Marine recruits who had proof of prior an infection and repeatedly examined adverse earlier than beginning fundamental coaching had been later contaminated once more. That work was performed earlier than the brand new variants started to unfold, stated one examine chief, Dr. Stuart Sealfon of the Icahn Faculty of Medication at Mount Sinai in New York.
“Earlier an infection doesn’t provide you with a free cross,” he stated. “A considerable danger of reinfection stays.”
Learn the total story right here.
11:55 a.m. South Africa seeks new vaccine plan after halting AstraZeneca
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa is contemplating giving a COVID-19 vaccine that’s nonetheless within the testing section to well being staff, after suspending the rollout of one other shot that preliminary information indicated could also be solely minimally efficient in opposition to the mutated type of the virus dominating the nation.
The nation was scrambling Monday to give you a brand new vaccination technique after it halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine — which is cheaper and simpler to deal with than some others and which many had hoped can be essential to combatting the pandemic in creating international locations. Among the many potentialities being thought of: mixing the AstraZeneca vaccine with one other one or giving Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, which has not but been approved to be used wherever, to 100,000 well being care staff whereas monitoring its efficacy in opposition to the variant.
The abrupt change in technique was prompted by preliminary leads to a small examine that confirmed the AstraZeneca vaccine was solely minimally efficient in opposition to gentle to reasonable circumstances of the illness brought on by the variant.
Learn the total story right here.
10:05 a.m. Tampa mayor annoyed by maskless followers after Tremendous Bowl
TAMPA, Fla. — A lot for the mayor’s order requiring masks at Tremendous Bowl events. Throngs of principally maskless followers took to the streets and packed sports activities bars because the clock inside Raymond James Stadium ticked down on a hometown Tremendous Bowl win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It’s a little irritating as a result of we’ve got labored so onerous,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor stated throughout a Monday morning information convention with the Tremendous Bowl Host Committee. “At this level in coping with COVID-19, there’s a stage of frustration whenever you see that.”
Some 200,000 masks had been handed out forward of the sport, and “a majority” of individuals and companies adopted the foundations, she stated.
Learn the entire story right here.
8:15 a.m. Illinois data 2,060 new COVID-19 circumstances, 48 further deaths on Sunday
Illinois on Sunday recorded its smallest every day COVID-19 caseload in 4 months.
State well being officers introduced 2,060 new possible and confirmed coronavirus circumstances, the fewest reported in a single day since Oct. 6. The brand new circumstances had been discovered amongst a batch of 81,550 assessments processed by the Illinois Division of Public Well being within the final 24 hours for a every day positivity price of about 2.5%.
Illinois averaged 2,862 new circumstances every day via the primary week of February. That’s a 55% decline from the primary week of January when the state averaged about 6,379 new circumstances per day.
The state’s an infection charges even have been on a gradual decline over the past month.
After peaking at 8.6% in early January, the statewide seven-day positivity price is down to three.4%, the bottom that determine has been since early October. Within the final week, that determine, which signifies how quickly the virus is spreading, has fallen 0.5%.
Learn Madeline Kenney’s full story right here.
7 a.m. Native artist goals to ‘Shield Little Village’ with public artwork that celebrates masks sporting
Silvia Morales detested creating artwork as a baby, and she or he in all probability would nonetheless really feel that means at this time if not for an artwork instructor in highschool.
“That instructor helped me discover that I not solely had a ardour in one thing I assumed I hated, however she confirmed me I had a future profession in it,” Morales stated.
Now, the 20-year-old herself is pursuing a profession in artwork schooling on the College of Illinois at Chicago and is starting to make a reputation for herself in Little Village’s public artwork scene.
Morales’ work largely is commentary on social injustices and the necessity for unity amongst Black and Brown folks on the Southwest Aspect. Her first main mural was painted along with her personal college students exterior Ald. Mike Rodriguez’s (twenty second) workplace and requires concord between Little Village and Lawndale residents.
“The mural is type of, in a means, a message for accountability to ourselves and the necessity to construct unification past the divide we constructed between us through the years,” Morales stated. “It took place due to the struggles that got here from the summer time of civil unrest that we had been going via not simply domestically however nationally.”
Learn Manny Ramos’ full story right here.
Evaluation & Commentary
5:27 p.m. An NFL lesson: Masks weren’t seen as signal of weak point however as signal of duty
Final evening, hundreds of thousands of individuals internationally watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Tremendous Bowl over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. They noticed nice athletes performing on the high of their occupation. They noticed a recreation marked by onerous tackling and blocking, fierce runs and sophisticated performs. It was a giant evening with a giant viewers. The plain query is how was the Nationwide Soccer League in a position to pull off enjoying the season with 32 groups after which the playoffs and the large recreation within the midst of a pandemic?
To also have a season and a Tremendous Bowl, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL management have to be applauded for his or her acts of daring and clear route. The League elaborated clear guidelines, after which tightened them in response to what they discovered.
They required every day testing of the gamers and employees, conducting greater than 1 million assessments for COVID-19. That allowed discovery of any infections early and imposition of isolation earlier than the virus unfold to others.
Learn the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s full column right here.
1:31 p.m. COVID-19 burdens ‘little one care deserts’
Households should navigate via a sophisticated maze to seek out little one care that meets their wants. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated dad and mom’ struggles to seek out protected, reasonably priced care, pushing ladies out of the workforce. Whereas this can be a problem for households all through the town, informational limitations to accessing care disproportionately affect communities of shade. Additional complicating this subject, Latino households particularly are inclined to dwell in communities thought of “little one care deserts” with inadequate little one care. Additionally they encounter limitations to enrollment.
Our analysis workforce not too long ago had the chance to study this subject immediately from Latina moms. A Little Village mom defined to us that she had by no means seen a baby care middle in her neighborhood. One other stated, “All people proper right here is like, ‘Oh, my youngsters didn’t go to Head Begin’ As a result of there’s nothing shut.” The restricted provide of kid care in Latino communities, particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, pushes moms out of the labor market and their households into poverty.
Not solely is there a restricted provide of formal little one care in Latino communities, however households additionally lack details about the applications that do exist. Baby care suppliers wouldn’t have uniform eligibility necessities, wait record protocols, places, schedules, prices, curricula, languages, class sizes, security tips, and helps, which make it harder for fogeys to grasp their choices. Even inside particular person applications, eligibility necessities and prices are difficult by braided funding streams.
Learn the total commentary right here.
7 a.m. Making an inventory, on the brink of make up for misplaced time, which might’t come quickly sufficient
There’s an Italian restaurant we like on Ogden Avenue in Clarendon Hills known as ZaZa’s. It’s nothing fancy, simply good meals.
Even in regular occasions, we don’t get to ZaZa’s actually because it’s fairly a hike from the place we dwell now within the metropolis. With the virus, it’s been not less than a yr since we’ve eaten there.
One in all ZaZa’s specialties is one thing they name Pesce Bianco al Spinaci, which the menu describes as “whitefish roasted with further virgin olive oil, capers, lemon and white wine, served with a aspect of fire-roasted spinach.”
It’s soooo good. The fish. The sauce. I can’t cease enthusiastic about it recently.
I’ve just about determined to place it on the high of The Listing.
You recognize, The Listing — all of the stuff you need to do when that is lastly over.
Certainly, you may have one by now, if solely in your head.
At this level, it’s not a lot a matter of whether or not you’re enthusiastic about what you’re going to do when the pandemic winds down as whether or not you’ll be able to take into consideration anything. That may be an issue, in fact, as a result of, even with the vaccines, we’ve nonetheless obtained an extended methods to go.
Learn the total column from Mark Brown right here.
