28 additional fatalities in US. Boone County has 19 new COVID-19 cases
28 
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Illinois’ COVID-19 positive test rate down but hospitalizations rising; Pritzker announces funding to connect unemployed residents with training and jobs
By DAN PETRELLA
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
SEP 10, 2020 AT 4:15 PM
Gov. J.B. Pritzker answers a reporter's question after making a job training announcement at The Workforce Connection on Sept. 10, 2020, in Rockford. (Scott P. Yates/Rockford Register Star)
The percentage of positive coronavirus tests appears to be trending downward in Illinois after rising for much of the summer, but state officials remain concerned about stubbornly high positivity rates in certain regions as well as rising hospitalizations.
“We can’t outrun this virus. It hasn’t gone away," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday during a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center in the Loop. “We can’t pretend that we can fully restore our economic vitality as long as it’s here without any way to temper or prevent it.”
State health officials on Thursday reported 1,953 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases statewide since the pandemic began to 255,643. With 28 more fatalities also reported, the official death toll stands at 8,242.
Statewide, the positivity rate stood at 3.8% on a seven-day average as of Wednesday. The 3.7% seven-day average the previous day marked the first time the positivity rate dipped below 4% in more than a month.
Still, the share of positive tests remains much higher in two regions that have been placed under tighter restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
In Will and Kankakee counties, where tighter restrictions on restaurants, bars and casinos took effect Aug. 26, the rate remains at 7.5%. That’s below the 8% rate that triggered stricter rules, but still above the 6.5% threshold needed for them to be loosened once again.
In the Metro East region near St. Louis, the positivity rate was 10.1%, three weeks after stricter rules were put in place.
While positivity rates are improving in much of the rest of the state, Pritzker said the state is closely monitoring rising hospitalizations.
As of Wednesday night, 1,609 people were reported to be hospitalized in the state with COVID-19, up from 1,481 a month earlier.
Reiterating a message she’s been promoting for months, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike cited medical research suggesting “near universal adoption” of mask wearing and other public health measures such as hand-washing could effectively halt community spread of the virus.
“What more can I tell you? How can we convince you further? Wear a mask," Ezike said. “It’s really that simple.”
Earlier Thursday, Pritzker joined local officials in Rockford to announce a nearly $17 million effort to connect roughly 1,300 people who are unemployed amid the coronavirus pandemic with training and jobs, including temporary jobs assisting with the response to COVID-19.
Two federal grants totaling $16.6 million will be distributed to a dozen local workforce agencies across the state to help train and employ out-of-work residents for jobs such as contact tracing, building sanitation, temperature screening, and food preparation and distribution. Priority will be given to applicants who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
The federal funding “will help us address a goal for reinvigorating our economy that’s twofold: returning more of our residents to the jobs that they know and also simultaneously addressing new economic demand brought on by COVID-19,” Pritzker said.
The federally funded program will reach only a minute portion of unemployed Illinois residents, however.
During the week ending Aug. 29, the most recent for which data is available, more than 26,000 initial unemployment claims were filed with the Illinois Department of Employment Security. As of July, there were nearly 500,000 fewer jobs in Illinois compared with the same period last year.
More information on the jobs announced Thursday is available at illinois.gov/gethired.
No comments:
Post a Comment