Coronavirus in Illinois updates: Here’s what happened May 12 with COVID-19 in the Chicago area

Chicago Tribune staff, Chicago Tribune
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Northwestern University announced Wednesday that students will be required to have the COVID-19 vaccine next academic year.

In a letter to the school community, administrators wrote the decision was made as confidence in the vaccine’s effectiveness has increased and the supply has grown to meet the demand in Illinois.

Meanwhile, U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 on Wednesday, just as expected new guidelines say it’s OK for people of any age to get the shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations.

Chicago’s city-operated COVID-19 vaccine sites will begin offering the Pfizer vaccine to kids 12 to 15 starting Thursday, Chicago public health officials said Tuesday while touting the two-dose shot as the strongest guarantee those children can safely celebrate the summer after a trying year of coronavirus-related closures.

Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area:

7 p.m.: Introduction of vaccines for 12 to 15 age group offers ‘freedom’ for some children. Others plan to wait and see.

When Maeve Deane found out that Chicago’s vaccine sites will start inoculating 12- to 15-year-olds against the coronavirus on Thursday, she exclaimed, “Yes!” and high-fived her mother.

“I’m so excited to finally have freedom from this house,” Maeve said in a Wednesday phone interview.

At 13, Maeve is the last member of her household who hasn’t gotten the shot, though she has asked her mother seemingly every week when her turn will come. The eighth grader at Taft High School Academic Center said she has mostly known the four walls of her bedroom throughout the pandemic, sometimes visiting her grandparents before returning home to see neighbors her age parking their bicycles at each other’s stoops for a playdate.

“She saw her friends, and she had to wave at her friends, so I can imagine that it didn’t make her feel great,” said her mother, Siobhan Deane. “They’ve been troopers through this whole thing, especially at their ages where they want to socialize with their friends. But I have to be the bad cop saying, ‘Sorry, you can’t go out.’”

But not all parents and children are immediately on board, however.

Read more here. —Alice Yin

6:15 p.m.: Illinois’ plan to use chunk of $7.5 billion in federal coronavirus relief to pay off debt may be in jeopardy

State officials are asking the U.S. Treasury Department for permission to use a portion of the $7.5 billion in federal aid Illinois is in line to receive from President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan to repay loans the state took out last year to help cover pandemic-related expenses.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other top officials have repeatedly said the state’s first priority for the money from Biden’s American Rescue Plan should be paying down its debts, mostly notably the outstanding balance on the $3.2 billion the state borrowed from a special Federal Reserve program established to help state and local governments through COVID-19-induced budget crises.

Illinois was the only state to tap the program, borrowing $1.2 billion in June and another $2 billion in December.

Interim Treasury Department rules released earlier this week on how the various funds from the latest round of federal relief can be spent raised alarms for the cash-strapped state.

The funds “are intended to help meet pandemic response needs and provide relief for households and businesses facing near- and long-term negative economic impacts,” the rules stated. “This eligible use category would not include payment of interest or principal on outstanding debt instrument.”

The rules have not been finalized, but state officials are hoping for a clearer understanding of what’s allowed as they try to put together a state spending plan for the next budget year ahead of the legislature’s scheduled May 31 adjournment.

Read more here. —Dan Petrella

5:50 p.m.: Illinois to spend $225 million on COVID-19 saliva tests in middle and high schools, even as vaccines open up to kids 12 and older

A day before 12-to-15-year-olds can receive COVID-19 vaccines — a potential breakthrough for adolescents — public health officials announced a $225 million plan to subsidize the use of COVID-19 tests at public middle schools and high schools.

The initiative, funded by federal stimulus money, allows schools to purchase saliva tests developed by the University of Illinois for $10 apiece and aims to accelerate the return of in-person learning. Tests will be free for schools in low-income districts with high COVID-19 rates, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Making testing widely and freely available gives schools another important tool to keep students and educators safe as we move closer and closer to putting the pandemic behind us,” said State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala.

Just about 47% of public schools statewide are fully back in person, according ISBE data. About 50% are offering a mix of face-to-face and virtual classes while about 3%, or 28 districts, remain completely remote. Chicago Public Schools provides both options for students.

Read more here. —Elyssa Cherney

3:20 p.m.: Illinois launches $6 million summer tourism push as full reopening looms

With the full reopening of Illinois potentially less than a month away, the state launched a tourism campaign Tuesday aimed convincing both residents and those from neighboring states to explore Illinois by car.

The $6 million “Time for me to drive” campaign, playing off “Time for Me to Fly” by REO Speedwagon — a band started in Champaign — will air in 18 television markets in seven states, officials said.

The goal is to give a boost to the hospitality and tourism industry in Illinois, which were hit hard by the pandemic and the closures and other restrictions Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“After an incredibly difficult year in which the pandemic kept us all close to home and staying apart, lifesaving vaccines are bringing us back to life and heading toward a summer of fun and venturing out,” Pritzker said during a news conference at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

The state is on track to move to the penultimate step of Pritzker’s reopening plan — the so-called bridge phase — on Friday, with a full reopening penciled in for June 11 if COVID-19 trends hold or improve. The bridge phases allows for higher capacity limits on a wide range of businesses and activities.

Read more here. —Jenny Whidden and Dan Petrella

2:55 p.m.: Northwestern University will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 next school year

Northwestern University announced Wednesday that students will be required to have the COVID-19 vaccine next academic year.

In a letter to the school community, administrators wrote the decision was made as confidence in the vaccine’s effectiveness has increased and the supply has grown to meet the demand in Illinois.

“COVID-19 vaccines are the most important tool to help end the pandemic, and requiring students to be vaccinated will best support the health of our community and position us for in-person classroom and co-curricular activities for the Fall Term,” the administrators wrote.

Already, university officials estimate that more than 75% of Northwestern’s student body is “fully vaccinated or in the course of vaccination,” according to the letter.

Those who cannot receive the vaccine due to medical or religious reasons can seek an exception to the requirement, according to the letter. Those who are not vaccinated and do not have an exception will not be allowed to register for fall classes.

International students who aren’t able to receive a vaccine in their home countries can sign up to be vaccinated once they arrive on campus, according to the letter. Faculty and stuff are currently not required to be vaccinated.

Read more here. —Genevieve Bookwalter, Pioneer Press

2:28 p.m. (update): US advisers endorse Pfizer COVID shot for kids 12 and up

U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 on Wednesday, just as expected new guidelines say it’s OK for people of any age to get the shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations.

The sprint to vaccinate millions of middle and high school students has already started in parts of the country, as a long line of kids rolled up their sleeves in suburban Atlanta for a first dose Wednesday. But much of the nation was awaiting recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Pfizer’s vaccine, already used for months in those 16 and older, was a good choice for 12- to 15-year-olds, too. The CDC was expected to accept its advisers’ recommendation.

Read more here. —Associated Press

1:20 p.m.: ‘Withdrawing 14K a day off unemployment.’ Ex-Homewood man accused of filing fraudulent COVID-19 claims, boasting in Instagram messages

A Georgia man was accused Tuesday in a federal indictment of filing fraudulent coronavirus-related unemployment claims from his former home in south suburban Homewood.

Robert Carter, 27, is charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, according to a criminal complaint that says he filed for unemployment benefits in Maryland, despite having no connection to the state. The complaint alleges he received debit cards in the mail, and withdrew thousands of dollars from ATMs in Chicago and surrounding suburbs.

Carter is also accused of filing for CARES Act unemployment benefits in Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, California and Arizona.

The CARES Act, signed into law last March, expanded unemployment benefits due to income loss related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, the law added $600 to regular unemployment checks, and expanded unemployment funds to workers, such as independent contractors, who aren’t usually eligible for the benefits.

Read more here. —Madeline Buckley

1:15 p.m.: Burr Ridge develops outdoor plan for restaurants in 2021

Burr Ridge trustees this week agreed to subsidize some local restaurants seeking to support outdoor dining to the tune of $2,000.

That number is the high end, or it’s half of the cost of outdoor dining. The funds will come from the town’s hotel and motel tax, which is expected to exceed $60,000.

The grants are intended to help local restaurant businesses flesh out outdoor dining solutions during a pandemic. The plan should pay restaurants up to $2,000 per year or half their cost of improving an outdoor seating arrangement, whatever is the lesser cost. This includes tents, but it also could cover general outdoor dining improvements.

Mayor Gary Grasso supported a $20,000 limit so far, said addition revenue from that fund could go toward other business aid.

Read more here. —Jesse Wright, Pioneer Press

12:07 p.m.: 73,345 vaccine doses administered, 1,795 new cases and 26 deaths reported Wednesday

Illinois public health officials reported 1,795 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 26 additional deaths. That brings the state’s totals to 1,359,748 cases and 22,285 deaths.

There were 70,216 tests reported in the previous 24 hours and the seven-day statewide positivity rate as a percent of total test is 2.7%.

There were 73,345 doses of the vaccine administered statewide on Tuesday and the seven-day average of daily doses is 80,591.

—Chicago Tribune staff

10:35 a.m.: CDC officials mull guidelines on how to vaccinate children ages 12 to 15 against COVID-19

States are rolling out Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots to pediatricians and even some school vaccine clinics as they prepare to vaccinate millions of kids as young as 12.

Federal health advisers were meeting Wednesday to issue recommendations on how to vaccinate those 12 to 15 years old with the shot. Earlier in the week, the Food and Drug Administration cleared expanded use of Pfizer’s shots, citing evidence they worked as well for the younger age group as for those 16 and older.

While kids in some places already are rolling up their sleeves, much of the nation is awaiting the recommendations from advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the outstanding questions: Is it OK to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the same doctor’s visit as kids receive some routine vaccinations, such as the HPV shot?

Doctors who are ready to vaccinate their own kids want other parents to line up, too.

“Their lives have been really disrupted by this virus,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer and president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Zink described how her already vaccinated 16-year-old loves hanging out with unmasked friends while “my 13-year-old pouted away and said, ‘I can’t wait for mine’” — shortly before learning she will get a turn, too.

Read more here. —Associated Press

8:42 a.m.: Starting today, millions of Americans can apply for $50 off their internet bill

Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic.

The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package. The government is increasing spending on broadband as the pandemic made stark that millions of Americans did not have access to, and could not afford, broadband at a time when jobs, school and health care was moving online.

It’s unclear how long the money will last but it’s expected to be several months. Tens of millions of people are eligible, although the Federal Communications Commission, which is administering the program, did not specify a number.

There are eligibility requirements — see https://getemergencybroadband.org to find out if you qualify.

Read more here. —Associated Press

6 a.m.: The Chicago Bears will release their schedule tonight. Here’s the latest on who they play and if fans will be in attendance.

The NFL will release the 2021 schedules for all 32 teams at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know as the Chicago Bears prepare to unveil their slate.

In addition to the home and away NFC North games against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, the Bears will have home contests against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

Read more here. — Shannon Ryan

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