Illinois Expands Medicaid Coverage For Mothers
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois will now provide Medicaid benefits to eligible mothers for up to 12 months postpartum, a major extension from the previous 60-day limit. Gov. JB Pritzker made the announcement Tuesday after a waiver submitted in 2019 by the state to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was recently approved. “Every mother […]
State Tops Single-Day Vaccine Record At 154,201 As Universal Eligibility Nears
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker reiterated Thursday that all Illinois residents age 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, April 12, as vaccine supply – but also virus transmission rates and hospitalizations – continues to increase. More than 80 of the state’s 102 counties have already opened eligibility to […]
COVID-19 Positivity Rate Reaches Highest Level Since Late January
SPRINGFIELD – Public health officials on Wednesday announced 3,790 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 out of 80,628 test results reported over the previous 24 hours, bringing the statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate to 4.1 percent, the highest that figure has stood since Jan. 30. Statewide, COVID-19 hospitalizations also increased Wednesday, as the Illinois […]
3,526 New COVID-19 Cases Are One-Day High Since Feb. 5
The state reported 3,526 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 Thursday, the highest one-day total since Feb. 5. That drove the seven-day rolling…
217 Today — March 30, 2021
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217Today3-30-21.mp3 Today’s headlines: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says he hopes Democrats and Republicans can come to an accord which avoids the elimination of the filibuster. Public colleges and universities in Illinois are asking the Governor and Illinois Department of Public Health to force college students to get coronavirus vaccines or not attend classes […]
ISU President: Universities Want IDPH To Require Vaccination For Fall Attendance
NORMAL — Illinois State University and other public higher education institutions want the Illinois Department of Public Health to require students be vaccinated for COVID-19 if they attend classes in the fall. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/wglt/audio/2021/03/segment_1_all_students_vaccinated.mp3 Listen to this story here. During an Academic Senate meeting last week, ISU President Larry Dietz provided an update on whether students […]
State Nears ‘Bridge’ Phase With 64% Of Seniors Receiving At Least 1 Vaccine Dose
With 64 percent of the state’s seniors having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Illinois is nearing the “bridge” phase of reopening that…
Illinois To Expand Vaccine Eligibility Ahead of April 12 Universal Rollout
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that more groups of people will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations ahead of April 12 when everyone over age 16 will become eligible. Starting Monday, March 22, higher education staff, government workers and members of the media will be eligible to receive shots. A […]
All Outside Chicago Will Be Vaccine Eligible April 12; Reopening Changes Announced
All Illinoisans 16 years of age and older outside of Chicago will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations beginning April 12, and the state announced a …
Pritzker Reflects On COVID-19 Year: ‘The Politics Will Take Care Of Itself In The End’
Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of Illinois’ first reported death from COVID-19. In the next 12 months, Illinois would go on to report nearly 21…
Illinois Launches COVID Vaccine Hotline
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday afternoon launched a COVID-19 vaccine hotline — something advocates have been asking Gov. JB Pritzker…
State Announces Phase 1B Expansion, But Appointments Still Limited
The expansion includes people aged 16-64 with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, smoking, heart conditions, chronic kidney…
Weather Causing Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Delays, State Says
SPRINGFIELD – State officials have been notified that winter weather across much of the U.S. is causing delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, according to a Tuesday release. “To help offset delayed vaccine deliveries, the State of Illinois proactively ordered vaccine to be delivered to its Strategic National Stockpile Receipt, Store, and Stage site […]
Senators Question Public Health Officials On Vaccine Rollout
SPRINGFIELD – State senators questioned public health officials regarding the state’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts in a Thursday hearing, one day after Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the state would expand vaccine eligibility under Phase 1B by Feb. 25. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike and Deputy Director Andrew Friend testified before the […]
Statewide Vaccination Numbers Continue to Improve
Public health officials announced 58,189 COVID-19 vaccinations were administered statewide Monday, nearly double the one-day total from the same day a…