Latest
What’s safe after COVID-19 vaccination? Don’t shed masks yet
You’re fully vaccinated against the coronavirus — now what? Don’t expect to shed your mask and get back to normal activities right away.
That’s going to be a disappointment, if not a shock, to many people.
In Miami, 81-year-old Noemi Caraballo got her second dose on Tuesday and is looking forward to seeing friends, resuming fitness classes and running errands after nearly a year of being extremely cautious, even ordering groceries online.
“Her line is, ‘I’m tired of talking to the cats and the parrots,’” said her daughter Susan Caraballo. “She wants to do things and talk to people.”
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t yet changed its guidelines: At least for now, people should follow the same rules as everybody else about wearing a mask, keeping a 6-foot distance and avoiding crowds — even after they’ve gotten their second vaccine dose.
Vaccines in use so far require two doses, and experts say especially don’t let your guard down after the first dose.
News
10 a.m. Six Flags plans to reopen Illinois parks this spring, hire 4,000 workers
Six Flags announced Friday it will be hiring 4,000 workers to staff its Illinois theme and water parks this spring, and visitors will find new COVID-19 precautions.
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee is slated to reopen to the public on April 24, while Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Hurricane Harbor Rockford will reopen on May 29.
The Six Flags reopening plan includes social distancing, screening, sanitization, disinfection, new signs, training and personal protective equipment supplies for workers, spokeswoman Caitlin Kepple said.
Temperature check will be done when guests arrive; visitors will be required to have been healthy for at least 14 days before entering the park; and everyone over 2 years old must wear a mask.
Manny Ramos has the full story here.
8:30 a.m. G-7 vows ‘equitable’ world vaccine access, but details scant
Leaders of the Group of Seven economic powers promised Friday to immunize the world’s neediest people against the coronavirus by giving money, and precious vaccine doses, to a U.N.-backed vaccine distribution effort.
But the leaders, under pressure over their vaccination campaigns at home, were unwilling to say exactly how much vaccine they were willing to share with the developing world, or when.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the G-7 leaders held a virtual meeting that fair distribution of vaccines was “an elementary question of fairness.”
But she added, “No vaccination appointment in Germany is going to be endangered.”
After their first meeting of the year — held remotely because of the pandemic — the leaders said they would accelerate global vaccine development and deployment” and support “affordable and equitable access to vaccines” and treatments for COVID-19. They cited a collective $7.5 billion from the G-7 to U.N.-backed COVID-19 efforts.
New cases
- Illinois on Friday reported 2,219 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 63 additional deaths.
- A total of 1,170,902 cases, including 20,192 deaths was also reported, officials said.
- Illinois said laboratories have reported 85,963 specimens for a total of 17,474,319.
- As of Thursday night, 1,596 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 366 patients were in the ICU and 190 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators, the state said.
- The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 12–18, 2021 is 2.8%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 12–18, 2021 is 3.3%.
- A total of 2,060,706 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of midnight Friday.
- 83,673 doses were administered Thursday, marking the highest single Friday amount of vaccines administered in Illinois, officials said.
Analysis and commentary
7 a.m. Fewer stops on this year’s Friday church fish fry circuit, but at least you can do takeout
Around this time last year, I paid homage to the traditional Friday night Lenten fish fry circuit, sharing my plans to spend the next six weekends chowing down at Catholic churches around the Chicago area.
What’s the saying? Man plans. God laughs.
There would be no six Friday nights of fish fries in 2020. By the third week of the season, COVID-19 pretty much had closed them all down, along with church services and restaurants and so much else.
If you foresaw way back then that we would still be dealing with this a year later, then you’re a smarter person than I am.
But I have good news for those seeking a semblance of normalcy in their lives.
Some churches have decided to proceed with their fish fry dinners this year, albeit on a carryout basis.
