IDPH Reports More than 135,000 Doses of New Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in Last Week

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, September 23 - The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that more than 137,000 Illinoisans have received a dose of the new, updated COVID-19 vaccines since they were authorized for use at the beginning of September. This brings the total number of bivalent vaccines administered in Illinois to 341,000. Daily vaccination numbers are at the highest level seen since early February, during the major surge in illnesses caused by the Omicron variant. The announcement comes as 36 counties in Illinois are rated at an elevated level for COVID-19 by the CDC, down from 66 a week ago. IDPH is reporting 17,373 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 62 deaths since September 16.

"Across Illinois we are seeing a large numbers of state residents taking action to protect themselves and their loved ones by seeking out the updated COVID-19 booster shots," said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. "This is an encouraging sign as we head into the fall season and face a potential increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Illinois is fortunate to have a significant supply of bivalent boosters. I strongly urge all that are eligible to contact their local pharmacies or medical providers to get protected as soon as possible - both from COVID-19 and the flu. These vaccines are especially important for those most vulnerable to severe illness, such as those individuals over 50, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised."

IDPH reported that over the last week, an average of more than 19,000 doses of the new bivalent vaccines have been administered across the state each day. This is more than double the daily average for all vaccinations for most of the summer.

The CDC authorized two new bivalent booster vaccines on September 2 that include an mRNA component of the original strain to provide an immune response that is broadly protective against COVID-19 and an added mRNA component in common between the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant.

The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 18 years of age and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent, is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 12 years of age and older.

The updated boosters are available at pharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. The best way to locate a vaccine provider near you is to visit www.vaccines.gov and search for bivalent booster availability.

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,751,275 cases, including 34,947 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of last night, 1,069 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 147 patients were in the ICU and 40 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 136 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.

The counties in Illinois listed at High Community Level are Ford, Jefferson and Wayne.

In counties at the Medium Community Level, persons who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places. They should also get up to date on COVID-19 vaccines or get their bivalent booster, if eligible.

IDPH has been supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized treatments. There are over 1,200 treatment locations in Illinois - including all the major retail pharmacies. More than 96.7% of the state's population is within a 10-mile radius of one of these locations.

A total of 23,653,407 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 24,840 doses, including the bivalent booster and first doses. Since September 16, 173,877 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois' total population, more than 77% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 69% of Illinois' total population is fully vaccinated, and 55% of the vaccinated population has an initial booster according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations. All data are provisional and are subject to change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.

Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov. The federal government has established a new website that provides an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.

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IDPH Reports More than 135,000 Doses of New Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in Last Week

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