Chicago mulls proof-of-vaccine entry rules as COVID-19 surges again and first omicron case reported
Chicago might mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for access to certain public spaces as the omicron variant arrived in a city still grappling with an existing surge that has blown up caseloads to levels not seen in almost a year.
City public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady gave few details Tuesday on the potential requirement, an idea that has been implemented in other areas of the U.S. but took longer for Chicago authorities to warm up to.
She said proof of vaccination as a tactic for stemming coronavirus transmission appealed to her more than returning to stricter restrictions.
“Might we begin requiring proof of vaccination for more activities and public spaces? Yes, I think we might,” Arwady said during an online question-and-answer session. “I certainly am more interested in that than I am in needing to do some of the major shutdowns.”
Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said the state “is not considering proof-of-vaccine for activities and public spaces at this time.”
In August — at the time New York City announced its “Key to NYC” proof-of-vaccination requirement — Arwady said the concept of a vaccine passport to get into indoor restaurants, bars and gyms “interested” her, but it was not the right moment for Chicago, where residents appeared more resistant. Instead, local officials focused their energy on improving vaccination rates and once again mandating masks indoors.
Arwady noted that some businesses have taken it upon themselves to card patrons for proof-of-vaccination on their own, which she approved of, but with the spread of the emerging omicron variant in the U.S. and an ongoing surge of the highly contagious delta variant, there may be more such requirements on a city level. Major events such as last summer’s Lollapalooza music festival already required entrants to have proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
Los Angeles last month began enforcing its vaccination requirement for anyone seeking entry to a wide range of businesses, a mandate considered one of the strictest in the U.S. San Francisco and New York City had similar proof-of-vaccination requirements in place.
The possibility of such rules in Chicago are thanks to the dual threat of the delta and omicron variants, Arwady said. Delta, which is highly contagious, became dominant in the U.S. and Chicago this summer and is largely responsible for the city’s current 828 average daily caseload — a number not seen since late January. Meanwhile, Chicago’s positivity rate stands at 4.1%.
The coronavirus’s omicron variant was detected for the first time in Illinois Tuesday in a Chicago resident, health officials announced.
The case was identified in a Chicago resident who made contact with someone who had traveled to the city and tested positive for omicron in another state, according to a joint statement from the Illinois and Chicago departments of public health.
The Chicago resident was fully vaccinated with a booster dose, the statement said, and they are not hospitalized.
This new variant comes seems to have a large number of mutations that could mean it’s more transmissible. But much uncertainty remains, such as whether symptoms from the new variant could be more severe or whether the existing coronavirus vaccines are as protective.
So far, many cases in vaccinated individuals have reportedly resulted in mild symptoms.
Omicron follows a string of other variants that have invaded Illinois during the pandemic, the last one being the delta variant, which pushed out all others this summer.
Also on Tuesday, the city’s travel advisory for unvaccinated people returning to Chicago was expanded to include 40 states. North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington, D.C., were added back to the list of states from which unvaccinated travelers must take extra COVID-19 precautions upon arrival in Chicago.
That means every state and territory except Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and the Virgin Islands are covered by the travel advisory.
The most updated guidance from the city advised that unvaccinated people get tested one to three days before leaving for their trip. Upon return, they should get a COVID-19 test within three to five days as well as quarantine for seven days. If they choose not to get tested, they should quarantine for 10 days.
“Where we look at the Midwest here, things are not looking that great from a COVID perspective,” Arwady said, highlighting Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. “This is again the winter surge as we move inside, and we see more spread even before omicron.”
State health officials on Tuesday reported 7,068 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, pushing the seven-day average of new cases to 7,340.
A month ago, the state was averaging 2,603 cases per day.
As of Monday night, 3,029 patients with COVID-19 were in hospitals statewide, the most since Jan. 22. Over the past week, there have been an average of 2,695 patients in hospitals per day, more than double the average of 1,278 a month earlier.
State data also shows hospitalizations have climbed, particularly in the portion of Illinois west of the Chicago area to the Iowa line. That part of the state now has the highest rate of hospitalized residents, at 35 per 100,000 residents. That’s more than double the rate in Chicago.
Deaths also have been rising in recent days.
The vast majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to be among those who aren’t fully vaccinated, according to health officials.
The Associated Press contributed.
