Vaccinations Lag As Coronavirus Surges In IL: Nearly 8K New Cases

ILLINOIS — Despite hopes that vaccines would stop the pandemic in its tracks and let Illinoisans get back to normal this summer, new coronavirus cases are exploding across the state, thanks largely to the 42 percent of Illinoisans who remain unvaccinated.

For the week ending July 23, the state saw 7,983 new cases — nearly double the cases reported the week before and a 171 percent increase from two weeks ago. In addition, 47 more Illinoisans have died from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and 670 are hospitalized, including 135 in intensive care and 44 on ventilators.

While vaccinated individuals have reported some mostly mild breakthrough cases, almost all hospitalizations and deaths have been among the unvaccinated, health officials said.

State health officials have blamed the spike in cases on the delta variant of the coronavirus. First identified in India, the delta variant is much more contagious than the original virus, with 1000 times the viral load, according to one study. That means a person infected with this variant of the coronavirus would carry much more of the virus in their body. In addition, since the delta variant seems to replicate faster, infected individuals become contagious earlier, making it much easier for them to infect others.

Because of delta variant's viral load and its ability to evade some of the body's defenses, some health officials believe it could not only be more contagious, but deadlier as well. According to a study published in The Lancet medical journal, people who caught the delta variant were twice as likely to be hospitalized as those who caught the original variant.

Officials say full vaccination (one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two of either Pfizer or Moderna's) still confers more than 90 percent protection against severe disease, no matter the variant.

In neighboring Missouri, where just 40 percent of residents are vaccinated, the delta variant accounts for nearly all new cases in the past two weeks, and officials in Illinois worry that state's low vaccination rates could be driving infections in the Metro East, across the river from St. Louis, which on Monday reinstituted its indoor mask mandate for all businesses.

RELATED: Don't Believe Vaccines Are Working In Illinois? Look At Missouri

Officials have warned new restrictions could be in store for Illinois as well, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker telling NBC on Friday, "I believe strongly that we will impose mitigations as it's appropriate, where it's appropriate."

Even as Illinois lifted its statewide mask mandate in May, following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some local leaders expressed hesitance.

"We've got to make sure that people are continuing to follow the public health guidance that has gotten us this far, and masks I think are a big and important part of that," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at the time. "To say, well, if you're vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask, that's great, but what about all the other people that are out there that aren't vaccinated and there's no way to know that?"

Some schools — such as those in Chicago — have said they will enforce mask wearing when students return this fall, while others say masks will be optional.

And, even as cases skyrocket, Lollapalooza is set to go forward starting Thursday. The large, outdoor music festival will require proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test, with masks mandatory for anyone who is not vaccinated.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he plans to attend.

"It's an outdoor festival, as you know, and it's safer outdoors than it is indoors," the governor said last week. "I know lots of people will attend. I think, again, it's up to individuals to make a decision about whether they want to be in a large group."

As of Friday, the statewide case positivity rate stood at 3.3 percent, while the test positivity rate was slightly higher at 3.5 percent. That's about a percentage point higher than a week ago and more than double the positivity rate of two weeks ago. Officials said local positivity rates are likely even higher downstate.

In total, 1,407,929 coronavirus cases have been reported in Illinois since the start of the pandemic, and 23,401 Illinoisans have died from the virus.

Officials say 13,056,857 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of Friday, and 58 percent of adults are fully vaccinated. An average 19,928 vaccine doses were administered per day over the last week, down substantially from more than 100,000 daily doses several months ago.