Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) officials Tuesday provided legislative members of the Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission an update on the current version of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan, including a preview upcoming phases of distribution.

During his presentation, IDPH Deputy Director of the Office of Preparedness & Response Andrew Friend explained that Illinois is currently vaccinating group 1A, which including all individuals who work in health care settings who may indirectly or directly come in contact with patients, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Friend said group 1B, the subsequent group to be vaccinated, currently includes adults 75 or older and workers like first responders (police, firemen), educators, critical infrastructure workers, and those working in the food and agriculture sectors. Group 1C currently includes all adults ages 65 to 74 and those individuals between ages 16 and 54 with high risk-conditions or comorbidities like heart disease. He explained that the CDC is still trying to determine who exactly falls into which group.

Friend also emphasized that different areas of the state will move from phase 1A into phases 1B and 1C at different times depending on the makeup of that specific community and the uptake rate of those individuals being vaccinated.

Friend also gave a detailed breakdown of how doses are being delivered to frontlines. Between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, IDPH expect 485,000 doses to be administered to health care workers by the end of December, as well as 340,000 doses administered to residents and staff of long term care facilities, who will begin receiving vaccines this week. 

As of Dec. 19, over 63,764 doses have been administered to health care workers. He also explained to the legislators that each individual who is vaccinated receives a card designed by the CDC that serves as both as verification of when they were vaccinated and what dose they received and as a reminder to receive their second booster dose roughly three weeks after their first.

-Allison Richard

Front-line workers in health care settings were the first Illinoisans to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday in what Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Nzogi Ezike called “the beginning of the end” for the pandemic in the state. 

This week, vaccines are being administered in 96 hospitals associated with the 50 counties that have highest COVID-19 death rates per capita. Every hospital will be providing vaccinations to health care workers next week. 

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer said more than 100,000 individuals will receive the vaccine in the coming days and weeks, especially as the Moderna-developed vaccine bolsters shipments. Both vaccines must be administered in two doses and have been rated as highly effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

“This is a beginning for the state of Illinois. People getting vaccinated, particularly our health care workers, is an exciting moment. I hope that everybody will take note that you were part of this and witnessed this. These health care workers have been working all throughout this pandemic taking care of people on the front lines. These are our heroes, and our heroes now have stepped forward to get their vaccine, and to show the way for everybody else,” the governor said at an event at the OSF St. Francis Training Center in Peoria, where five frontline workers received vaccines. 

The governor explained that both local and state law enforcement are helping securely transport vaccines from the Illinois Strategic National Stockpile, where the first 43,000 doses were first received by the state, to regional hub hospitals, and then to additional hospitals in regions throughout the state. Additionally, Chicago and departments of public health in Cook, Lake County, Madison, and St. Clair counties are receiving direct shipments from the federal government. 

Ezike said that she hopes seeing these early vaccinations will instill confidence in those who are concerned about the vaccine’s safety. During Tuesday’s medical update, she attempted to dispel rumors that the vaccine may contain tracking technology, may cause infertility, or may give a person COVID-19, encouraging the public to seek out multiple sources of information. 

Allison F Richard

Legislative Consultant

Attorney at Law

While spiking COVID-19 infection numbers are “moderate” in Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that post-Thanksgiving numbers may still rise and excoriated public officials who skirt or ignore COVID-19 safety regulations. 

 

“This virus wants to get transmitted in a place where people take off their masks for an extended period of time, sit across from one another, eating and drinking. That's exactly an amplification point for transmission of the virus. I feel terrible for the law-abiding bar and restaurant owners while there are others out there trying to take advantage of the public and get them sick. I think that, I suppose, there'll be ultimate judgment on those people,” Pritzker said. 

Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney, former chair of the Illinois Restaurant Association, was identified as hosting indoor diners at his restaurant Monday, later stating his regrets. The governor said that restaurant and bar owners continuing to operate under mitigations have “chosen to provide opportunities for people to get sick.”

Pritzker also commented on the COVID-19 outbreak at LaSalle Veterans’ Home, acknowledging the local decisions that led to the outbreak. 

“I have fought so hard to make sure people understand the importance of wearing masks, the importance of reducing opportunities for transmission, the importance of local law enforcement following through on their mission to serve and protect by ensuring mitigations are followed. These actions might seem small to some, but applied collectively and consistently, they prevent tragedies like this. This is why I'm infuriated by those who oppose proven mitigations at every turn. But now profess belated concern,” he said. 

Allison F Richard

Legislative Consultant

Attorney at Law

Gov. J.B. Pritzker Tuesday said that Illinois currently expects to receive 109,000 doses in the first round of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, which would vaccinate about 54,500 people, most or all of whom will be frontline hospital workers. However, he said that the expected number of vaccine doses changes daily.

“That’s just the very first shipment. That’s not all that we will ever receive, that’s just what they are telling us today. I’m hoping that we’ll get more and I hope that number doesn’t change, but we’re at the whim of the FDA, the CDC, and the federal government as far as those first shipments,” he said.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said that they will be following data closely to see who has been immunized over the coming months and then making decisions about prioritization of available vaccines from there.

Pritzker also commented on the status of 11 long-term care facilities owned by Infinity Healthcare Management around the Chicago area as SEIU Healthcare Illinois workers enter the second week of strikes calling for hazard pay.

“Given the significant federal and state financial support for nursing homes during this pandemic, it's important that workers see that funding reflected in their workplace, in their safety, and their pay. It’s important to me that the owner and the unions are able to sit down and negotiate quickly and in good faith so that they can get back to the work that matters most: getting our residents safely through this pandemic,” he said.

He also called on Congressional leaders, who are currently discussing further pandemic stimulus legislation, to include financial relief for bars and restaurants in their plans, which he said have been some of the hardest hit businesses in the pandemic.

-Allison Richard

Statewide restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and other services in the state will continue in the coming weeks, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday. Given the restrictions were only implemented on Nov. 20 and the Thanksgiving Holiday has just passed, the governor said the mitigations will need to stay in place until consistent improvements in COVID-19 positivity are seen.

The governor said he spoke by phone with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, earlier Monday.

“I spoke with Dr. Fauci this morning to get his input about the Illinois situation. He said that the massive number of indoor gatherings by people visiting family and friends across the nation will likely bring a post-Thanksgiving surge and he believes this is no time to pull back on mitigations,” the governor said.

Pritzker said in response to questions that all restrictions that could be used to combat the pandemic remain on the table, but said that any hypothetical stay-at-home order that could be put in place after a surge would not be the exact same as that put in place in March. 

Commenting on vaccinations, Pritzker said that the number of Pfizer-manufactured COVID-19 vaccinations that the state expects to receive continues to fluctuate from anywhere from 80,000 to 400,000.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike also noted that it’s possible that the state could have multiple FDA-approved vaccines available in the coming months, meaning that some that require less cold storage could be prioritized for certain areas of the state that have more logistical challenges. However, she said that the rollout of any vaccines will come in stages, potentially lasting over several months.

Pritzker also commented on the State Inspector General’s investigation into any potential misconduct at the LaSalle state-run veterans’ home, which has seen a COVID-19 outbreak that has killed 27 veterans and infected over 200 individuals. 

“If there's any failure of procedure or wrongdoing, then that should be brought to the forefront and people should be held accountable,” he said.

House Republicans including Rep. Randy Frese (R-Quincy) again Monday called on Rep. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora), chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, to hold investigative hearings on the situation at LaSalle. In media reports, Kifowit has cited the House’s restrictions on holding virtual committee meetings as a reason why such panels have not been held and said that the Senate has denied requests for joint hearings on the matter.

-Allison Richard

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced late Monday that he would seek the minority leader spot on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee after U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) announced she did not plan to retain the position in 2021.

“I intend to seek the top Democratic position on the Judiciary Committee in the 117th Congress. I have served on the Committee for 22 years, and I am its most senior member who does not currently serve atop another Senate Committee. We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work on undoing the damage of the last four years and protecting fundamental civil and human rights,” Durbin said in a statement.

“For the last four years, Republicans leading the Senate Judiciary Committee have turned a blind eye to the worst abuses of the Trump era.  While President Trump assaulted the Constitution, the Judiciary Committee abdicated its oversight responsibilities and became little more than a conveyor belt to rubberstamp ideological and largely underqualified judicial nominees. The to-do list for the Senate Judiciary Committee is long, and of critical importance to the future progress of our country.”

Recently, the committee was the focus of media attention during the nomination hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. In those hearings, both Durbin and Feinstein voted against her nomination, but the latter faced criticism for her appeals to bipartisanship during the hearings.

Allison Richard

In Monday’s daily COVID-19 update, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was joined by Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Acting Director Kristin Richards to provide an overview of recent efforts the department has made to support Illinoisans seeking financial support during the pandemic.

 

“In April of this year, alone, the Illinois Department of Employment Security processed more claims than it had in the previous 10 Aprils combined. Even compared to the other worst economic years of the last two decades, the 2020 recession has seen almost three and a half times as many regular unemployment claims compared to the first nine months of either the 2008 or 2001 recession, and it's not even close,” he said.

He urged Congress to take national action to extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program and provide additional financial support. 

“I can't overstate the implications. Without assistance from Congress five weeks from now, there will be no way to replace these benefits for the hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans impacted by these programs, which have become an essential lifeline for people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” he said.

Richards thanked the governor and General Assembly for increasing IDES authorized headcount for this fiscal year, but said the department already started understaffed before the pandemic hit. She also said that the department has implemented a callback-only model that allows for more individuals to apply for assistance or reach a representative than was previously possible. She said most claimants receive a callback within 7 to 10 days, but there are cases where the wait time is longer. 

Pritzker and Richards were also joined by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who explained efforts the state has taken to deal with unemployment insurance fraud, saying his office has received nearly 850 written complaints and about 4,000 hotline phone calls from individuals reporting possible fraud.

“Unfortunately, the Social Security numbers of some people have been obtained by some fraudsters as a result of a number of data breaches over the years. My office is committed to looking into this fraud and helping Illinois residents avoid being victims of identity theft,” he said. 

In response to questions from reporters, Pritzker explained that some hospital bed shortages being reported around the state are due to a lack of staff to care for individuals in those beds. Additionally, he said the state is butting up against its capacity for effectively testing individuals, especially given those seeking tests before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said people have the ability to avoid spreading COVID-19 during the upcoming holiday. 

“Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet. People can still change their plans and change the outcome. We don’t have to have super spreader events at homes throughout our state and throughout the country,” she said.

Allison Richard

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The Office of Management and Budget late Friday released a five-year forecast on Illinois state finances, predicting budgetary shortfalls in the upcoming five years. 

The report predicts “sizeable deficits” in the state’s General Funds budget in the coming years, with debt growing. The deficits would range from $4.8 billion in FY22 to $4.2 billion by FY26.

“From day one I have been committed to providing a transparent accounting of our fiscal situation and have once again begun working with leaders in the General Assembly to address our challenges,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement following the projection’s release.

“While we didn’t anticipate a pandemic, we must now grapple with the economic hardship it has created while also preserving the vital state services Illinoisans rely on. I am committed to ensuring the state of Illinois returns to the path of fiscal stability we began to pave last year, while managing through this unexpected economic crisis responsibly.”

The governor earlier this year asked all state departments to include a 10 percent cut in spending for their planned FY22 budgets. The report states that Pritzker’s administration will seek to close tax loopholes in order to bolster state revenues in lieu of the graduated income tax amendment that was rejected by voters earlier in Nov.

The report notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the state and national economies, but only a small portion can be attributed to stay-at-home orders and other government restrictions. 

“COVID-19 and the stay at home orders had a widespread impact on the economy, but the government-imposed closures appear to only be a part of what caused this massive contraction of employment and economic output. Austan Goolsbee and Chad Syverson, economists at the University of Chicago, examined ‘cellular phone records data on customer visits to more than 2.25 million individual businesses across 110 different industries.’ They determined that ‘while overall consumer traffic fell by 60 percentage points, legal restrictions explain only 7 percentage points of this.’,” the report states. 

Click here for full report.

Allison Richard