COVID-19 In Illinois: Coronavirus Hospitalizations Hit Record Low; State Expecting First Shipment Of 83,000 Doses Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois has reported a new record low for COVID-19 hospitalizations, as the state prepares to receive its first shipment of the newly authorized single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,577 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as well as 47 more deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 1,189,416 coronavirus cases, including 20,583 deaths.
As of Monday night, a total of 1,231 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, the fewest coronavirus hospitalizations reported in a single day since the state started tracking them last April. Hospitalizations from the virus have been cut in half over the past month.
The state's seven-day average case positivity rate remains at 2.4% for the fourth day in a row, tied for the lowest it's been since June 23. The state's average case positivity rate has been below 3% for 16 days in a row, the longest such stretch reported so far during the pandemic.
Meantime, IDPH said the state is expecting to receive 83,000 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Wednesday. It's the first single-shot vaccine available, and can be stored at much higher temperatures than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, making it easier to distribute.
Officials said the vast majority of the state's Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply will go to mass vaccination sites throughout the state.
The state is also expecting approximately 288,000 doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines from the federal government this week. That does not include shipments being sent to Chicago, which gets its own supply from the federal government.
So far, the state has received a total of 3,630,085 doses of vaccines since December, including the shipments that go to Chicago. A total of 2,817,892 shots have been administered statewide, and 866,132 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 6.8% of the state's population.
The state is now averaging 80,416 doses administered per day over the past week, up from 43,282 doses per day one week ago.