To:

Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI) Members

From:

Mark Biel, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] or 217/522-5805 

Re:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – Governor Pritzker, Hospitals Urge Postponing Non-Emergency Services; CDL Update/Secretary of State Facilities Closed to Public Until at Least January 18; Update on Vaccinations; Update on COVID-19 Cases

Governor Pritzker, Hospitals Urge Postponing Non-Emergency Healthcare Services: With the ever-increasing surge of COVID cases stressing hospitals and healthcare facilities, Governor Pritzker and the state hospital association urged health care providers to postpone non-emergency surgeries and procedures as needed to accommodate the flood of new cases.  Close to 85% of the hospitalized across the state are unvaccinated. The Illinois Public Health Department (IDPH) reported 6,294 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, the most since the pandemic began, with an average of 550 people are being admitted each day.  It’s also been reported that along with delaying non-emergency procedures, hospitals are also implementing other strategies, including stepping up telehealth visits, reallocating staff resources and working to expand ICU capacity.   

COVID Testing Sites: It was also announced that starting this week, free community-based testing sites will expand operations to six days a week. The full list of site locations and times can be found on IDPH’s website.

CDL Update/Secretary of State Driver’s Facilities Closed to Public Until at Least January 18: The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office announced that all driver facilities and other office facilities will be closed to the public until at least January 18.  In addition, all driver's license and ID card expiration dates have been extended until March 31, 2022.

However, this extension does not apply to CDLs and CDL learner's permits (CDLPs). Expiration dates for CDLs and learner’s permits will be extended until to Jan. 31, 2022. This change impacts CDLs and CLPs with expiration dates between Nov. 1, 2021, and Jan. 31, 2022.

Online transactions at www.ilsos.gov will continue for services including:

  • Renewing a license plate sticker
  • Renewing a driver's license or ID card for those who qualify (individuals may call 217-785-1424 to confirm their eligibility or to obtain their PIN)
  • Obtaining a duplicate driver's license or ID card
  • Obtaining a driver record abstract
  • Filing Business Services documents, such as incorporations and annual reports

Update on Vaccinations:  A total of 19,357,296 vaccines have been administered to Illinois residents. The average number of vaccines administered daily is 46,926. According to the state’s vaccine administration data, here’s how the rest of the state’s population by age groups ranks in terms of vaccinations:

5 years of age and older – 68% fully vaccinated; 77% one dose administered
12 years of age and older – 73% fully vaccinated; 82% one dose administered
18 years of age and older – 75% fully vaccinated; 83% one dose administered
65 years of age and older – 87% fully vaccinated; 95% one dose administered             

In addition, 3,210,306 eligible Illinoisans have also received a booster shot.  The state has also updated its COVID-19 website containing current locations and other pertinent information on one webpage.

Update on COVID-19 Cases: IDPH is now reporting 2,263,166 positive tests of COVID-19 in Illinois since the pandemic began, which is an average increase of 22,723 positive tests per day since last reported here 5 days ago on December 30. In total, 45,305,412 tests have now been conducted in Illinois for the virus, an average of 167,156 per day since December 30.

The state’s average positivity rate over all 11 regions since December 30 is at 13.5%, which is an increase of over 3.5% in the last 5 days.  You can see where the various regions are at in terms of their positivity rates, hospitalizations, and other metrics at this link

Unfortunately, IDPH is reporting a total of 28,077 deaths since the pandemic began, an average increase of 51 per day since December 30.

You can also check where these cases are occurring at the State of Illinois COVID-19 website which also contains more information on this outbreak.

Also, IDPH has a case breakdown of the number of positive cases in Chicago and each county relative to the number of fatalities.  The IDPH website also now includes a breakdown of the cases under each zip code in the state.

For information on other states and countries, John Hopkins University has developed this website that provides invaluable resources at a one-stop location detailing testing and tracing trends, timelines of COVID-19 policies, vaccinations, and interactive maps.

1400 E. Touhy Ave, Suite 110
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Tel: (847) 544-5995
Fax: (847) 544-5999