Illinois needs ‘people to lift up their sleeves’ and get COVID vaccine, top doctor says
As COVID-19 cases climb in the metro-east, the Illinois Department of Health is urging residents in the area to get vaccinated.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the department’s director, said Monday she’s concerned about the rate of hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases in the region.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a 7.1% seven-day positivity rate for the metro-east, classified as Region 4 by the department, as of Friday. The rate is a 2% increase than what was reported earlier this month, which was the highest COVID-19 positivity rate that the region has witnessed since February.
Additionally, as of Sunday, the region has experienced seven consecutive days of COVID-19 hospitalization increases. The department reported a total of 31 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region as of Sunday on a seven-day rolling average, an increase of two from the previous day.
Information on the department’s website is delayed by three days, so Friday, July 9, is the latest date information was available for Monday.
Of the seven counties that make up Region 4, St. Clair, Madison and Monroe counties are among those with the highest seven-day average positivity rates. As of Friday, the department reported positivity rates of 7.1%, 7.7% and 10.7% for the three counties, respectively.
Ezike said the increase in metro-east cases is partially related to the area’s proximity to Missouri, where the Delta variant has overwhelmed some of the state’s hospitals. Missouri has the second-highest rate of new COVID-19 cases per capita, according to The New York Times.
Only 40% of those eligible for vaccines in Missouri are fully vaccinated. In Illinois, 47% of those eligible for vaccines are fully vaccinated. About 41% of the population in St. Clair County is fully vaccinated.
“If what’s happening in Missouri continues to flourish, we’re going to see people in those metro-east counties that are going to get sick and worse,” Dr. Ezike said on Monday.
In this Q&A, Ezike talks about the trend in rising cases in the area and the need for residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine:
Region 4 is slowly approaching the 8% threshold for seven-day positivity rate. Could there be regulations coming in order to control the spread?
“I think what our focus is is to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated. We know that that’s the best prevention strategy to deal with any variant that has been circulating. You know there’s really no real distinction between Missouri and Illinois in terms of the virus not having any boundaries.”
“...In Madison and St. Clair, we are seeing increased hospitalizations already. We are already seeing more people in the hospital with COVID over the last week. We’re seeing the death rates start to go up from the low that we had just at the end of last month, so it’s really incumbent on everyone to do what they can to keep themselves as safe as possible, and that definitely means getting vaccinated. While you’re making that decision or in between now and when you get it or get fully vaccinated, absolutely consider wearing your mask in those high-risk settings, indoor settings. Get tested if you have any symptoms.”
Are there going to be more aggressive vaccine outreach efforts?
“We thought we were giving people 10 million reasons to get vaccinated by giving out $10 million in lottery prize money and scholarships for people who did get vaccinated. We take our first million dollar winner on Thursday and we take three $150,000 college scholarship prizes. Today, we’re picking another three prize winners, so I hope if you’re on the fence or thinking of another reason why you should get vaccinated, having a chance at winning a million dollars or a free college tuition for yourself or for your child might be another reason to consider it.”
Will there be other options explored, like mandates, for ensuring that people are vaccinated?
“Right now, I know that there are some employers that are mandating it for their employees depending on what field they’re in. There is no state mandate at this time. People are being encouraged to do what’s best, and it’s really clear from all the evidence that the best way forward, the best for us to get past this, the best way for us to control the variant is to get vaccinated. “
How safe are vaccinated people from the Delta variant?
“We have seen great evidence, not just here, but in other countries as well that the Delta variant, while it does spread even faster than the other variants, it does get controlled when you’re vaccinated. Nothing is 100%. I think some of the other circulating variants, we were saying that the vaccines were like 90-95%. You may drop just a couple of points, but even being 90% is way better than having 0% coverage, and that’s what you have when you get vaccinated.”
Is there any correlation between lifting mask mandates and the rise of the delta variant?
“Masks have already proven that they help to slow down infections, that they help to save lives. We have something that can save lives and an even more proactive way with the vaccine, but you don’t want to forget how good masks are too. Definitely as the masks have gone away in more communities, that definitely is connected with the fact that they’re seeing rising rates of infections and more people going into the hospital with COVID and higher numbers of people with COVID, and that’s especially true in the metro-east area.”
“We’re seeing some concerning numbers in Madison, St. Clair and Monroe and so we’re really hoping that people will either get vaccinated and while they’re making their appointment and getting their first shot or their second shot they will also wear their masks in crowded settings, indoor settings, when there are a lot of people and you just don’t know who’s vaccinated and who’s not.”
Earlier this month, St. Louis and St. Louis County health departments recommended that those who are vaccinated should wear masks indoors. Is IDPH considering similar measures for the region, considering the rising numbers?
“We’re continuing to follow the numbers. Obviously, we’re concerned with the numbers we’re seeing in terms of things going upward in terms of the number of cases. We have been saying that we recommend people who are not vaccinated (to) wear their masks, especially indoors, and we have been saying it is entirely appropriate for others to wear their masks too if they are in large crowded settings because there are those few breakthrough infections in those people who are fully vaccinated. A few of those people, but not a lot, might still get infected, and so it’s never hurtful to wear the mask. If you’re in a very crowded setting with a lot of people and there are many unmasked people and you’re not confident that everyone is vaccinated, that may be your best option.”
Does the work need to go beyond just encouraging people and shift for more enforcement, given the alarming rise in cases and spread of new variants?
“The truth is that the vaccine is readily available. People can get it at their pharmacies, Walgreens, CVS. They have walk-in clinics at their local health departments. Everybody 12 and over is eligible. At a point, people have to make a good decision. I obviously will argue that not getting vaccinated is not the best decision, but people are entitled to make that decision. I think as more people see individuals who get infected or worse, I think the right decision might become clear on its own without having people mandate what needs to be done. I think the right decision is clear. People are coming to that decision on their own every day. We still have about 20,000 people that get vaccinated every day, so that’s telling me people are still making the choice to go get vaccinated. We’d love to see many more people do it, and the sooner, the better, but I think that the facts will be clear to everyone as they see the people who are getting sick are people who were not vaccinated. “
Earlier this year, you partnered with churches in the area to address vaccine safety among Black and brown communities. Will there be more efforts related to that?
“Those efforts have been ongoing. We have some religious leader town halls scheduled in the coming weeks. We are promoting events at churches throughout the area. Those efforts have not stopped. We’re still very involved with the local health departments in that area to promote vaccines. We still have the ability to have a vaccination clinic. People can reach out, a community-based organization, a church, any entity can reach out and ask us to have an event at their location. We’ll bring the vaccine, we’ll bring all the computers, we’ll bring all the information, we’ll bring all the paperwork that’s necessary. We just need the people to lift up their sleeves to get the vaccine.”
