The latest
National Guard joins fight against COVID-19 at veterans homes
Veterans homes dealing with coronavirus outbreaks will receive help from members of the Illinois National Guard, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Thursday as his administration looks to curb a rise in cases at the long-term care facilities.
The Guard is on the ground at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home — which has had 33 residents die from the virus — and will be sent Monday to facilities in Quincy and Manteno, Pritzker said.
They will provide staff support for screening and handling testing data.
“… Here in Illinois, we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to safeguard our most vulnerable, especially those who lived to serve,” Pritzker said at his Thursday briefing on the coronavirus.
So far, 55 veterans at the Quincy home have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday — and a total of 125 residents and staff have recovered from the virus. At the Manteno home, 18 residents and 33 employees have tested positive for the virus since August, according to an update from the state’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs dated Thursday.
Read the full story from Rachel Hinton here.
News
8:13 a.m. Panel of FDA advisors back Pfizer coronavirus vaccine
WASHINGTON — A U.S. government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, in a major step toward an epic vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation issued Thursday by its expert advisers. The advisory group, in 17-4 vote with one abstention, concluded that the shot appears safe and effective against the coronavirus in people 16 and older.
A final FDA decision is expected within days. Millions of shots would then ship to begin vaccinating health care workers and nursing home residents. Widespread access to the general public is not expected until the spring.
The meeting of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration represented the next-to-last hurdle before the expected start of the biggest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. Depending on how fast the FDA signs off on the panel’s recommendation, shots could begin within days.
New Cases
Analysis & Commentary
8:49 a.m. COVID killed my stepfather, who followed the rules
This is a story about a good man who worked brutally hard his adult life, paid his taxes, played by the rules and was starting to enjoy retirement, only to die a week after testing positive for COVID-19.
No longer able to live by himself, Terry finally agreed a few months ago to move to a retiree apartment complex 15 minutes away from me and my family in Chicago.
It had a good track record of keeping its residents safe from COVID-19, provided him three squares a day and a spacious one-bedroom apartment where he could snack on Snickers and watch TV to his heart’s content.
Last week, he learned several staffers at the apartment complex had tested positive for COVID-19. Within days, his own test came back positive. He had no symptoms, but as a precaution, he was taken to the hospital, where he was infused with bamlanivimab, the experimental antibody drug. The ER doctor called his prognosis good, and he was released.
Two days later, he was dead, his body discovered during the morning delivery of breakfast to his room.
