chicagotribune--2020-12-08--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 8,691 new COVID-19 cases and 90 additional deaths reported as Pritz

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 8,691 new COVID-19 cases and 90 additional deaths reported as Pritzker says state could be entering ‘most crucial month’ of pandemic

Illinois health officials on Monday announced 8,691 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 90 additional fatalities .
That brings the total number of known infections in Illinois to 796,264 and the statewide death toll to 13,343 since the start of the pandemic .
The new numbers come as Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Monday that Illinois is entering what could be “ the most crucial month of this entire pandemic , ” a period bookended by Thanksgiving and a string of December holidays traditionally marked by gatherings that carry the risk of spreading the coronavirus .
Meanwhile , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ann Sather restaurant got a visit from city inspectors Monday because the alderman has been allowing people to eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus .
Tunney acknowledged diners have been eating inside his Belmont Avenue restaurant and called it an “ error in judgment.
” Also on Monday , the administrator of the state-run veterans home in LaSalle was fired amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 32 veterans who lived there since early November .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state agency placed the home ’ s nursing director on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation .
On decision day for parents and teachers of Chicago Public Schools students tapped to return for in-person classes in the new year , the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed a legal action seeking to prevent the district from moving forward with its reopening plan .
The plan would have students in prekindergarten and moderate to severe special education cluster programs return Jan. 11 .
Other students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are enrolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hybrid model Feb. 1 .
Union leaders on Monday filed a motion for an injunction with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board against what they think are “ arbitrary ” reopening dates and are accusing CPS officials of “ manipulating statistics to justify their decision.
” The motion aims to prevent CPS from requiring in-person learning “ until they have bargained in good faith ” about that decision .
The labor relations board rejected a similar request last month , before CPS came out with hard reopening dates .
During that hearing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case if the district set a date .
As the new COVID-19 surge continues racing through Illinois prisons , with a disturbing rise in inmate deaths in November plus the state ’ s first staff fatality , corrections officials said they will start to test all prison employees for the virus regardless of whether the workers have symptoms .
The testing will be rolled out in phases across the state , state officials said .
The frequency will depend on the positivity rate of the county where the corrections facility is located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , they said .
Advocates for prisoners rights , who have campaigned for more robust testing since August , are calling for a specific , expedited timeline for the testing to be implemented .
They argue that the state ’ s delays have led to avoidable infections , noting that the latest data shows that COVID-19 has infiltrated prisons across Illinois , killing at least 50 inmates since March .
Half of them have died since mid-October .
In addition to the statewide testing , the Illinois Department of Corrections said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers and inmates every three days at three downstate prisons where infections are on the rise : two men ’ s prisons in Dixon and Vandalia and Logan Correctional Center , a women ’ s prison in Lincoln .
About 100 inmates and 20 staff members at Logan are positive for the virus , with many others having recovered .
The testing is expected to continue until no new cases are identified for two weeks .
Similar testing will occur at other prisons when an outbreak inside the facility is identified , officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s nearly 30,000 prisoners will be tested only if they have symptoms or had a known exposure to the virus .
5:40 p.m. : Pritzker says next four weeks could be ‘ the most crucial month of this entire pandemic ’ Illinois is entering what could be “ the most crucial month of this entire pandemic , ” Gov .
J.B. Pritzker said Monday , a period bookended by Thanksgiving and a string of December holidays traditionally marked by gatherings that carry the risk of spreading the coronavirus .
Though the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 , patients it ’ s still 14 % higher than the spring peak during the initial surge of the pandemic .
“ It ’ s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations .
We ’ re now in our 11th day since Thanksgiving and we are four days out from Hanukkah and 18 days from Christmas , 19 days from Kwanzaa , 24 from New Year ’ s Eve , ” Pritzker said Monday .
“ These next four weeks may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire pandemic .
We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge.
” Surrounding and flanking the base of Waukegan ’ s municipal Christmas tree at Jack Benny Plaza Saturday were at least two dozen luminarias already aglow as local officials prepared for the annual tree-lighting festivities .
By Sunday afternoon , in an event that was not virtual , there were more than 6,300 similar luminarias spread over 11 square blocks of southeast Waukegan by Beacon Place volunteers to give people hope as they celebrate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sam Cunningham lit the 15-foot Douglas fir Saturday at a decorated Jack Benny Plaza in downtown Waukegan to officially start the holiday season in the city , with a few socially distanced onlookers as others watched it virtually on their electronic devices .
In an event which usually attracts hundreds , Josh Beadle , the executive director of Waukegan Main Street -- who helped to organize the event -- said it was necessary to make the event virtual this year .
Cunningham said he hopes this will be the last time .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police union on Monday that it needs to ensure its member officers are wearing face masks and maintaining safe social distances while on the job , in keeping with public health guidelines around COVID-19 .
The pointed reminder from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow Jr. , who is overseeing sweeping mandated department reforms , came after the Fraternal Order of Police filed a motion alleging the city was violating its own health guidelines .
Officers have been put at risk when the Chicago Police Department conducted training sessions that included up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The union also accused the city of failing to provide enough protective equipment during those department meetings .
In requesting a temporary restraining order , the FOP said that by allowing officers to become “ superspreaders , ” city officials were putting not only officers at risk , but also their families and residents of Chicago .
Dow instructed the city to respond by Thursday , outlining the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of the virus .
But the judge concluded his order by reminding the FOP to look inward regarding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on patrol are already not adhering to COVID-19 guidelines .
3:25 p.m. : With thousands still on waitlist , additional $ 7 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to go toward Cook County ’ s in-demand cash assistance program Cook County officials on Monday reopened a cash assistance program for people who have lost wages or otherwise suffered financially after demand for the one-time $ 600 payment far exceeded expectations during the ongoing pandemic-induced recession .
From Monday to Friday of this week , suburban residents can once again apply for the county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which will directly transfer $ 600 to those who are eligible .
Applications are available online at https : //www.cookcountyil.gov/recovery .
The administrator of the state-run veterans home in LaSalle was fired Monday amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 32 veterans who lived there since early November .
Administrator Angela Mehlbrech was fired by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and will be replaced on an interim basis by Anthony Vaughn , the agency ’ s acting assistant director and a 24-year Marine Corps veteran , the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LaVia wrote in a letter to staff at the home that they should not have contact with Mehlbrech or Cook without Vaughn signing off first .
1:20 p.m. : Wrigleyville alderman allowed diners inside his restaurant in violation of COVID-19 rules , calls it an ‘ error in judgment ’ Wrigleyville Ald .
Tom Tunney ’ s Ann Sather restaurant got a visit from city inspectors Monday because the alderman has been allowing people to eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of Mayor Lori Lightfoot ’ s City Council leadership team as her hand-picked chair of the Zoning Committee , acknowledged diners have been eating inside his Belmont Avenue restaurant and called it an “ error in judgment.
” “ We ’ ve been sporadically letting some people in , regulars at the restaurant , to accommodate them from time to time , ” Tunney said Monday .
“ It ’ s done .
It will not continue , as of today.
” Whether it ’ s wealthy people fleeing to their second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back in with their parents , the coronavirus has set off a great migration in the U.S. this year .
But in many cases , it ’ s just amplifying trends that were already there .
New York City , for example , was losing 376 residents per day to domestic migration in 2019 — an increase of more than 100 per day from the previous year — before it became the epicenter of the country ’ s virus outbreak in March this year , according to the U.S. Census Bureau ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shrinking of New York would be significantly faster without international arrivals .
Last year , almost 60,000 cross-border migrants moved there ( only Miami had more ) while 200,000 residents left .
Los Angeles and Chicago were among other cities to see daily departures in triple digits last year .
Both have been losing population since 2017 .
That ’ s at least somewhat at odds with a widespread COVID-19 narrative that portrays cities booming at the expense of small towns until the pandemic struck .
Illinois health officials on Monday announced 8,691 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 90 additional fatalities , bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 796,264 and the statewide death toll to 13,343 since the start of the pandemic .
Officials also reported 77,569 new tests in the last 24 hours .
10:42 a.m. : Millions of hungry Americans turn to food banks for the 1st time : ‘ This is a hard thing to accept that you have to do this ’ The deadly pandemic that tore through the nation ’ s heartland struck just as Aaron Crawford was in a moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , his wife needed surgery , then the virus began eating away at her work hours and her paycheck .
The Crawfords had no savings , mounting bills and a growing dread : What if they ran out of food ?
The couple had two boys , 5 and 10 , and boxes of macaroni and cheese from the dollar store could go only so far .
A 37-year-old Navy vet , Crawford saw himself as self-reliant .
Asking for food made him uncomfortable .
“ I felt like I was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s this whole stigma ... this mindset that you ’ re this guy who can ’ t provide for his family , that you ’ re a deadbeat.
” Hunger is a harsh reality in the richest country in the world .
Even during times of prosperity , schools hand out millions of hot meals a day to children , and desperate elderly Americans are sometimes forced to choose between medicine and food .
10 a.m. : Better order those gifts now .
Retailers are warning of shipping delays as millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know .
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx say they have been handling package volumes usually seen during the height of the holidays all year as people shop online to avoid trips to stores during the pandemic .
American Airlines says the rise in COVID-19 cases and a growing number of travel restrictions leading into the Thanksgiving holiday is slowing demand for travel and will push its daily losses to the higher end of previous expectations .
In an investor update released Friday morning , American said its daily cash burn will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its $ 25 million to $ 30 million day forecast for the fourth quarter , a time period that airlines had hoped would result in renewed confidence in the pandemic-weary sector .
But with new COVID-19 cases growing to more than 1.1 million in the U.S. in the last seven days , according to government data , airlines are warning that their financial recovery won ’ t be as robust heading into the winter months .
8:27 a.m. : ‘ What are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants , paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months .
Now , their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas .
If no agreement is reached in negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill , more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $ 320 a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only source of income .
With time running out , lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed COVID-19 relief bill that would provide roughly $ 300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $ 1,200 in direct payments to most Americans , leaving that issue for President-elect Joe Biden to wrestle over with a new Congress next year .
The cash payments were popular when they were first distributed after the pandemic hit , and Biden on Friday had expressed hope that a second wave might come after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the talks said the checks won ’ t be included as part of the compromise , even as Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , and others said that could cause them to oppose the measure .
The Red Cross and other blood donation organizations often have difficulty bringing in enough blood donations during the winter holidays , but as coronavirus cases surge , the Red Cross says this year , it ’ s even more crucial people to donate blood and platelets .
Anyone who donates between Dec. and Jan. 4 will receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ while supplies last , ” according to the Red Cross .
6:55 a.m. : Cook County to announce extension of resident cash assistance program Cook County Board President Preckwinkle , other county officials and representatives from restaurant and retail groups were scheduled to announce Monday an extension of the county ’ s coronavirus cash assistance program .
The COVID-19 Resident Cash Assistance Program , announced in November , originally included $ 2.1 million in federal coronavirus funds to give suburban Cook County residents one-time cash payments of $ 600 .
The original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,000 people .
6 a.m. : Vaccine shortages have led to theft , smuggling and doses going to the famous instead of the needy .
Will it happen again with COVID-19 ?
Sixteen years ago , in the middle of a wretched Chicago Bears season , a scandal erupted at Halas Hall that had nothing to do with inept quarterbacking or sketchy play calling — but like the Bears ’ misery , it remains relevant today .
An acute shortage of influenza vaccine gripped the country in the fall of 2004 , forcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a dose , often without success .
The scarcity became such a hot political issue that both President Bush and his election challenger , John Kerry , forswore flu shots until the crisis eased .
But even as Illinois flu clinics closed for want of the vaccine , the Bears obtained shots through their prescribing physician and offered them to players — young men in superb physical condition who fell far outside the rationing guidelines established by federal health officials .
The uproar in Lake Forest was just one small part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lasted for months .
Along with cries of unfairness came reports of more sinister matters such as theft , smuggling and price gouging .
As America prepares to distribute another scarce vaccine , some are wary that history could repeat .
Interpol is warning that criminals are scheming to intercept COVID-19 vaccines , and federal officials have raised concerns about counterfeit doses — the scenario that most worries Dr. Georges Benjamin , executive director of the American Public Health Association .
“ My biggest fear is not so much that too many celebrities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Tragically , that ’ s going to happen .
I just hope there ’ s not a lot of it .
My biggest fear is the black market and the false market .
I ’ m concerned about people fraudulently selling vaccine and people being defrauded by ( phony promises ) .
” 6 a.m. : It ’ s not just COVID-19 that ’ s closing schools — it ’ s a lack of substitute teachers .
The shortage has reached crisis levels in some districts .
A nationwide shortage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long before the arrival of the pandemic .
But now , a dearth of available subs across the Chicago area has reached a crisis level at many school districts , where the roster of educators available to step in when teachers are absent has dwindled precipitously at a time of unprecedented need for their services .
Indeed , the prospect of working as a substitute as the virus continues to rage has discouraged the squad of loyal retired teachers and part-timers who often fill the ranks .
Many have told school district officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worth the extra income .
That ’ s happened as the number of teachers and other school employees in quarantine is spiking alongside the latest surge of the virus , only pushing the demand higher .
In response , some districts are stepping up their substitute recruitment efforts to preserve in-person instruction .
But others are concluding that remote learning , with all of its flaws , is perhaps the best option , at least until early 2021 .

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CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois health officials on Monday announced 8,691 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 90 additional fatalities. That brings the total number of known infections in Illinois to 796,264 and the statewide death toll to 13,343 since the start of the pandemic.
The new numbers come as Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that Illinois is entering what could be “the most crucial month of this entire pandemic,” a period bookended by Thanksgiving and a string of December holidays traditionally marked by gatherings that carry the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
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Meanwhile, Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney’s Ann Sather restaurant got a visit from city inspectors Monday because the alderman has been allowing people to eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Tunney acknowledged diners have been eating inside his Belmont Avenue restaurant and called it an “error in judgment.”
Also on Monday, the administrator of the state-run veterans home in LaSalle was fired amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 32 veterans who lived there since early November. In addition to the firing, the state agency placed the home’s nursing director on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation.
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Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
8 p.m.: CTU seeks legal action to stop ‘arbitrary’ CPS reopening plan
On decision day for parents and teachers of Chicago Public Schools students tapped to return for in-person classes in the new year, the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed a legal action seeking to prevent the district from moving forward with its reopening plan.
The plan would have students in prekindergarten and moderate to severe special education cluster programs return Jan. 11. Other students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are enrolled in elementary schools would return in a hybrid model Feb. 1.
Union leaders on Monday filed a motion for an injunction with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board against what they think are “arbitrary” reopening dates and are accusing CPS officials of “manipulating statistics to justify their decision.” The motion aims to prevent CPS from requiring in-person learning “until they have bargained in good faith” about that decision.
The labor relations board rejected a similar request last month, before CPS came out with hard reopening dates. During that hearing, board members discussed the possibility of reconsidering the case if the district set a date.
Read more here. —Hannah Leone
7:55 p.m.: Illinois to expand testing of prison workers as inmate deaths, infections surge
As the new COVID-19 surge continues racing through Illinois prisons, with a disturbing rise in inmate deaths in November plus the state’s first staff fatality, corrections officials said they will start to test all prison employees for the virus regardless of whether the workers have symptoms.
The testing will be rolled out in phases across the state, state officials said. The frequency will depend on the positivity rate of the county where the corrections facility is located but will be at least once a month, they said.
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Advocates for prisoners rights, who have campaigned for more robust testing since August, are calling for a specific, expedited timeline for the testing to be implemented. They argue that the state’s delays have led to avoidable infections, noting that the latest data shows that COVID-19 has infiltrated prisons across Illinois, killing at least 50 inmates since March. Half of them have died since mid-October.
In addition to the statewide testing, the Illinois Department of Corrections said that beginning this week, it will test workers and inmates every three days at three downstate prisons where infections are on the rise: two men’s prisons in Dixon and Vandalia and Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison in Lincoln.
About 100 inmates and 20 staff members at Logan are positive for the virus, with many others having recovered. The testing is expected to continue until no new cases are identified for two weeks.
Similar testing will occur at other prisons when an outbreak inside the facility is identified, officials said. The rest of the state’s nearly 30,000 prisoners will be tested only if they have symptoms or had a known exposure to the virus.
Read more here. —Christy Gutowski
5:40 p.m.: Pritzker says next four weeks could be ‘the most crucial month of this entire pandemic’
Illinois is entering what could be “the most crucial month of this entire pandemic,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday, a period bookended by Thanksgiving and a string of December holidays traditionally marked by gatherings that carry the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
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Though the state has recently seen a slight decrease in the hospitalization rate for COVID-19, patients it’s still 14% higher than the spring peak during the initial surge of the pandemic.
“It’s likely too early for us to have yet seen the bulk of Thanksgiving-related hospitalizations. We’re now in our 11th day since Thanksgiving and we are four days out from Hanukkah and 18 days from Christmas, 19 days from Kwanzaa, 24 from New Year’s Eve,” Pritzker said Monday. “These next four weeks may be the most crucial month of this entire pandemic. We quite literally have very limited leeway in our hospital systems to manage another surge.”
Read more here. —Jamie Munks
4:35 p.m.: Waukegan stages COVID-conscious Christmas events: ‘We’re all in this together’
Surrounding and flanking the base of Waukegan’s municipal Christmas tree at Jack Benny Plaza Saturday were at least two dozen luminarias already aglow as local officials prepared for the annual tree-lighting festivities.
“They’re at City Hall too,” City Clerk Janet Kilkelly said of the luminarias.
By Sunday afternoon, in an event that was not virtual, there were more than 6,300 similar luminarias spread over 11 square blocks of southeast Waukegan by Beacon Place volunteers to give people hope as they celebrate the holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Mayor Sam Cunningham lit the 15-foot Douglas fir Saturday at a decorated Jack Benny Plaza in downtown Waukegan to officially start the holiday season in the city, with a few socially distanced onlookers as others watched it virtually on their electronic devices.
In an event which usually attracts hundreds, Josh Beadle, the executive director of Waukegan Main Street -- who helped to organize the event -- said it was necessary to make the event virtual this year. Cunningham said he hopes this will be the last time.
Read more here. —Steve Sadin, Lake County News-Sun
4:20 p.m.: Judge pointedly reminds Chicago police to wear masks as union accuses city of holding unsafe training sessions during pandemic
A federal judge told Chicago’s main police union on Monday that it needs to ensure its member officers are wearing face masks and maintaining safe social distances while on the job, in keeping with public health guidelines around COVID-19.
The pointed reminder from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Dow Jr., who is overseeing sweeping mandated department reforms, came after the Fraternal Order of Police filed a motion alleging the city was violating its own health guidelines. Officers have been put at risk when the Chicago Police Department conducted training sessions that included up to 50 people, the union alleged.
The union also accused the city of failing to provide enough protective equipment during those department meetings. In requesting a temporary restraining order, the FOP said that by allowing officers to become “superspreaders,” city officials were putting not only officers at risk, but also their families and residents of Chicago.
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Dow instructed the city to respond by Thursday, outlining the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of the virus. But the judge concluded his order by reminding the FOP to look inward regarding the rules, citing evidence that officers on patrol are already not adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
Read more here. —Annie Sweeney and Jason Meisner
3:25 p.m.: With thousands still on waitlist, additional $7 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to go toward Cook County’s in-demand cash assistance program
Cook County officials on Monday reopened a cash assistance program for people who have lost wages or otherwise suffered financially after demand for the one-time $600 payment far exceeded expectations during the ongoing pandemic-induced recession.
From Monday to Friday of this week, suburban residents can once again apply for the county’s COVID-19 Resident Cash Assistance Program, which will directly transfer $600 to those who are eligible. Applications are available online at https://www.cookcountyil.gov/recovery.
Read more here. —Alice Yin
2:30 p.m.: Administrator fired, nursing director placed on leave amid deadly coronavirus outbreak at Illinois veterans home in LaSalle
The administrator of the state-run veterans home in LaSalle was fired Monday amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has killed at least 32 veterans who lived there since early November.
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Administrator Angela Mehlbrech was fired by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and will be replaced on an interim basis by Anthony Vaughn, the agency’s acting assistant director and a 24-year Marine Corps veteran, the department said Monday.
In addition to firing Mehlbrech, the state agency placed the home’s nursing director, Jackie Cook, on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation.
Department Director Linda Chapa LaVia wrote in a letter to staff at the home that they should not have contact with Mehlbrech or Cook without Vaughn signing off first.
“Staff are directed to not have any work-related contact with Ms. Angela Mehlbrech or Ms. Jackie Cook without the director approval of Mr. Vaughn,” Chapa LaVia wrote.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
1:20 p.m.: Wrigleyville alderman allowed diners inside his restaurant in violation of COVID-19 rules, calls it an ‘error in judgment’
Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney’s Ann Sather restaurant got a visit from city inspectors Monday because the alderman has been allowing people to eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
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Tunney, a key member of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s City Council leadership team as her hand-picked chair of the Zoning Committee, acknowledged diners have been eating inside his Belmont Avenue restaurant and called it an “error in judgment.”
“We’ve been sporadically letting some people in, regulars at the restaurant, to accommodate them from time to time,” Tunney said Monday. “It’s done. It will not continue, as of today.”
Read more here. —John Byrne and Gregory Pratt
12:56 p.m.: Even before COVID-19, more than 100 people a day were leaving Chicago
Whether it’s wealthy people fleeing to their second homes or college students forced to move back in with their parents, the coronavirus has set off a great migration in the U.S. this year. But in many cases, it’s just amplifying trends that were already there.
New York City, for example, was losing 376 residents per day to domestic migration in 2019 — an increase of more than 100 per day from the previous year — before it became the epicenter of the country’s virus outbreak in March this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest survey of population shifts.
The shrinking of New York would be significantly faster without international arrivals. Last year, almost 60,000 cross-border migrants moved there (only Miami had more) while 200,000 residents left.
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Los Angeles and Chicago were among other cities to see daily departures in triple digits last year. Both have been losing population since 2017. That’s at least somewhat at odds with a widespread COVID-19 narrative that portrays cities booming at the expense of small towns until the pandemic struck.
Read more here. —Bloomberg News
12:03 p.m.: 8,691 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 90 additional deaths reported
Illinois health officials on Monday announced 8,691 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 90 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 796,264 and the statewide death toll to 13,343 since the start of the pandemic. Officials also reported 77,569 new tests in the last 24 hours.
The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 10.3% for the period ending Sunday.
—Chicago Tribune staff
10:42 a.m.: Millions of hungry Americans turn to food banks for the 1st time: ‘This is a hard thing to accept that you have to do this’
The deadly pandemic that tore through the nation’s heartland struck just as Aaron Crawford was in a moment of crisis. He was looking for work, his wife needed surgery, then the virus began eating away at her work hours and her paycheck.
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The Crawfords had no savings, mounting bills and a growing dread: What if they ran out of food? The couple had two boys, 5 and 10, and boxes of macaroni and cheese from the dollar store could go only so far.
A 37-year-old Navy vet, Crawford saw himself as self-reliant. Asking for food made him uncomfortable. “I felt like I was a failure,” he says. “It’s this whole stigma ... this mindset that you’re this guy who can’t provide for his family, that you’re a deadbeat.”
Hunger is a harsh reality in the richest country in the world. Even during times of prosperity, schools hand out millions of hot meals a day to children, and desperate elderly Americans are sometimes forced to choose between medicine and food.
Now, in the pandemic of 2020, with illness, job loss and business closures, millions more Americans are worried about empty refrigerators and barren cupboards.
Read more here. —Associated Press
10 a.m.: Better order those gifts now. Retailers are warning of shipping delays as millions shop online. Here’s what to know.
This isn’t the year to procrastinate on your online holiday shopping.
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Retailers are warning that orders could take longer than usual to arrive because consumers are increasingly buying everyday essentials and holiday gifts online.
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx say they have been handling package volumes usually seen during the height of the holidays all year as people shop online to avoid trips to stores during the pandemic.
Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
9:52 a.m.: CDC’s ‘stay home’ advice is more terrible news for airlines
American Airlines says the rise in COVID-19 cases and a growing number of travel restrictions leading into the Thanksgiving holiday is slowing demand for travel and will push its daily losses to the higher end of previous expectations.
In an investor update released Friday morning, American said its daily cash burn will come in at the high end of its $25 million to $30 million day forecast for the fourth quarter, a time period that airlines had hoped would result in renewed confidence in the pandemic-weary sector.
But with new COVID-19 cases growing to more than 1.1 million in the U.S. in the last seven days, according to government data, airlines are warning that their financial recovery won’t be as robust heading into the winter months.
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Read more here. —The Dallas Morning News
8:27 a.m.: ‘What are we going to do when we lose the unemployment money?’ Millions fear cutoff of US jobless aid
Tina Morton recently faced a choice: Pay bills — or buy a birthday gift for a child? Derrisa Green is falling further behind on rent. Sylvia Soliz has had her electricity cut off.
Unemployment has forced aching decisions on millions of Americans and their families in the face of a rampaging viral pandemic that has closed shops and restaurants, paralyzed travel and left millions jobless for months. Now, their predicaments stand to grow bleaker yet if Congress fails to extend two unemployment programs that are set to expire the day after Christmas.
If no agreement is reached in negotiations taking place on Capitol Hill, more than 9 million people will lose federal jobless aid that averages about $320 a week and that typically serves as their only source of income.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:45 a.m.: Lawmakers say COVID-19 relief bill won’t offer $1,200 checks direct payments to most Americans
With time running out, lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed COVID-19 relief bill that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, leaving that issue for President-elect Joe Biden to wrestle over with a new Congress next year.
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The $908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger year-end spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend.
The cash payments were popular when they were first distributed after the pandemic hit, and Biden on Friday had expressed hope that a second wave might come after weekend negotiations.
But senators involved in the talks said the checks won’t be included as part of the compromise, even as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and others said that could cause them to oppose the measure.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:05 a.m.: Red Cross appeals for blood donations as COVID-19 cases surge
The Red Cross and other blood donation organizations often have difficulty bringing in enough blood donations during the winter holidays, but as coronavirus cases surge, the Red Cross says this year, it’s even more crucial people to donate blood and platelets.
The Red Cross is appealing to anyone who feels well enough to do so to donate blood.
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“Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, more than 1 million blood transfusions will be given in the United States. Donations of all blood types are needed to ensure hospital shelves remain stocked to meet patient blood needs.”
The need for what’s known as convalescent plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus, used to treat people with COVID-19, is especially high now, according to the Red Cross. So the agency is testing all blood donations for coronavirus antibodies, to see if donors “may now help current coronavirus patients in need of convalescent plasma transfusions,” according to the agency.
People can arrange to donate blood, plasma or platelets by making an appointment through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, on the website RedCrossBlood.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device, according to the release.
For a list of blood drives, check the agency’s website.
Anyone who donates between Dec. and Jan. 4 will receive a free long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt, “while supplies last,” according to the Red Cross.
—Chicago Tribune staff
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6:55 a.m.: Cook County to announce extension of resident cash assistance program
Cook County Board President Preckwinkle, other county officials and representatives from restaurant and retail groups were scheduled to announce Monday an extension of the county’s coronavirus cash assistance program.
The COVID-19 Resident Cash Assistance Program, announced in November, originally included $2.1 million in federal coronavirus funds to give suburban Cook County residents one-time cash payments of $600. The original program had been expected to serve about 3,000 people.
Officials were scheduled to discuss the program at a news conference Monday afternoon at the Cook County Building.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: Vaccine shortages have led to theft, smuggling and doses going to the famous instead of the needy. Will it happen again with COVID-19?
Sixteen years ago, in the middle of a wretched Chicago Bears season, a scandal erupted at Halas Hall that had nothing to do with inept quarterbacking or sketchy play calling — but like the Bears’ misery, it remains relevant today.
An acute shortage of influenza vaccine gripped the country in the fall of 2004, forcing the elderly to wait in hourslong lines for a dose, often without success. The scarcity became such a hot political issue that both President Bush and his election challenger, John Kerry, forswore flu shots until the crisis eased.
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But even as Illinois flu clinics closed for want of the vaccine, the Bears obtained shots through their prescribing physician and offered them to players — young men in superb physical condition who fell far outside the rationing guidelines established by federal health officials.
The uproar in Lake Forest was just one small part of a national ruckus over the vaccine that lasted for months. Along with cries of unfairness came reports of more sinister matters such as theft, smuggling and price gouging.
As America prepares to distribute another scarce vaccine, some are wary that history could repeat. Interpol is warning that criminals are scheming to intercept COVID-19 vaccines, and federal officials have raised concerns about counterfeit doses — the scenario that most worries Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
“My biggest fear is not so much that too many celebrities will get it first,” he said. “Tragically, that’s going to happen. I just hope there’s not a lot of it. My biggest fear is the black market and the false market. I’m concerned about people fraudulently selling vaccine and people being defrauded by (phony promises).”
Read more here. —John Keilman
6 a.m.: It’s not just COVID-19 that’s closing schools — it’s a lack of substitute teachers. The shortage has reached crisis levels in some districts.
A nationwide shortage of substitute teachers was a chronic problem long before the arrival of the pandemic. But now, a dearth of available subs across the Chicago area has reached a crisis level at many school districts, where the roster of educators available to step in when teachers are absent has dwindled precipitously at a time of unprecedented need for their services.
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Indeed, the prospect of working as a substitute as the virus continues to rage has discouraged the squad of loyal retired teachers and part-timers who often fill the ranks. Many have told school district officials that the potential health risks are not worth the extra income. That’s happened as the number of teachers and other school employees in quarantine is spiking alongside the latest surge of the virus, only pushing the demand higher.
In response, some districts are stepping up their substitute recruitment efforts to preserve in-person instruction. But others are concluding that remote learning, with all of its flaws, is perhaps the best option, at least until early 2021.
Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-12-08--As CPS parents face decision day on sending their kids back to school, CTU seeks legal action to sto

As CPS parents face decision day on sending their kids back to school, CTU seeks legal action to stop ‘arbitrary’ reopening plan

“ With disparate rates of attendance and participation in remote learning , our Black and brown students are facing an @ @ @ @ @ the potential to reverberate for decades , ” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton said in a @ @ @ @ @ the learning loss and missed opportunities for our children , the discussion can no longer @ @ @ @ @ not to reopen but how to do so safely .
Numerous studies and data from @ @ @ @ @ the country have shown that classrooms can safely reopen with proper mitigation strategies , and @ @ @ @ @ in order to counter the dire educational consequences for students who need support the most @ @

On decision day for parents and teachers of Chicago Public Schools students tapped to return for in-person classes in the new year, the Chicago Teachers Union announced it had filed a legal action seeking to prevent the district from moving forward with its reopening plan.
The plan would have students in prekindergarten and moderate to severe special education cluster programs return Jan. 11. Other students in kindergarten through eighth grade who are enrolled in elementary schools would return in a hybrid model Feb. 1.
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Union leaders on Monday filed a motion for an injunction with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board against what they think are ”arbitrary” reopening dates and are accusing CPS officials of “manipulating statistics to justify their decision.” The motion aims to prevent CPS from requiring in-person learning “until they have bargained in good faith” about that decision.
The labor relations board rejected a similar request last month, before CPS came out with hard reopening dates. During that hearing, board members discussed the possibility of reconsidering the case if the district set a date.
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In both cases, and in other grievances related to reopening, the union said CPS has failed to bargain with it over mandatory subjects, which each side interprets differently.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson announces the district’s goal to phase in school-based learning for the district’s most vulnerable students at CPS headquarters on Oct. 16, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
“The (Chicago Board of Education’s) authority to take such unilateral action rests upon a slender reed: the claim that the CBE’s right to determine ‘places of instruction’ includes the right to unilaterally put its teachers and staff into danger without meaningful bargaining,” states the motion, which seeks an injunction to require the terms of the reopening be “determined by good faith collective bargaining instead of executive fiat.”
In response, a district spokesperson said CPS and CTU have been “in discussions” since schools closed in March. The union hasn’t proposed specific changes to the current plan, according to CPS.
“With disparate rates of attendance and participation in remote learning, our Black and brown students are facing an unprecedented educational crisis that has the potential to reverberate for decades,” CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton said in a statement. “... Given the learning loss and missed opportunities for our children, the discussion can no longer be focused on whether or not to reopen but how to do so safely. Numerous studies and data from schools in Chicago and throughout the country have shown that classrooms can safely reopen with proper mitigation strategies, and we must open our doors in order to counter the dire educational consequences for students who need support the most.”
The union questions what can really be gleaned from available data.
“It’s not clear to me that there is a uniform collection of data for schools,” said CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates. “The jury quite frankly is still out on that data.”
While many Illinois districts are doing remote learning, some are fully or partially open. Contact tracing data for the prior 30 days puts schools at the top of the list for potential exposure location, meaning someone who contracted COVID-19 had been at a school during the incubation window but not necessarily that transmission occurred there, according to state data updated Friday. About 15.8% of people who tested positive were potentially exposed at schools, followed by hospitals or clinics at 8.9%, according to the data. Yet schools account for a smaller share of outbreaks, defined as five or more cases linked to the same location over two weeks.
The state tracker shows 13 current school outbreaks and 825 schools with potential exposures based on contact tracing data.
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Within CPS, which tracks data separately, weekly cases tied to school buildings peaked at 87 the week of Nov. 14 and totaled 30 the week of Nov. 28, the most recent week reported. The greatest number of cases tied to a single school since second quarter started Nov. 9 is five, at Phillips Academy High School, followed by four at Chappell Elementary, Chicago Vocational High School and Nicholson Elementary. There have also been eight administrative cases.
While CPS has required some employees to work in schools during remote learning, Davis Gates said the numbers seen with the “skeleton staff” raises questions about the district’s ability to prevent spread within its schools. She also took issue with the city’s decision to use a doubling rate of 18 days as the primary metric for determining if schools can be open.
“What the doubling rate tells me is that the mayor is comfortable with sending our children back into school communities with double digit positivity rates,” Davis Gates said. “That’s dangerous. The mayor had a decision to make last summer, open schools or open bars and restaurants. ... She made the wrong decision and now we are in a situation when there is massive community spread.”
Different approaches have been taken in the two U.S. school districts with more students than CPS, though both have similarly focused on younger students and those who need the most special education support. COVID-19 cases are also surging in both cities.
In New York City Monday, public schools reopened to nearly 200,000 eligible students with a weekly random testing plan, eschewing the 3% citywide test positivity rate that caused them to close weeks ago. In Los Angeles Monday, the superintendent announced that public schools would close for the limited in-person services they had been providing.
“This is one big experiment,” Davis Gates said. “CPS is saying, ‘If you refuse to participate in our experiment, you could be fired.’”
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CPS CEO Janice Jackson has said educators will be required to report to work in person unless they use the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Intent-to-return forms for teachers and opt-in forms for eligible students were all due Monday, and results were not yet available. When CPS sent similar forms in October for 16,704 students in pre-K and cluster programs, about one-third opted for in-person learning. About 58% chose to continue remote learning, and 9% did not respond. Schools are waiting on the results to figure out schedules, pods and staffing. Beyond the personal protective equipment, supplies and guidelines provided by CPS, each school is tasked with creating its own plan.
“This reopening plan is 550 different reopening plans,” Davis Gates said. “A lot of the implementation of this plan, they are leaving to the principal at the building level. We believe safety in the time of a pandemic should be uniform... if it is different for every single place how do you ensure the quality of implementation?”
The union also criticized CPS for having hired only 100 custodial workers when they said they would hire 400 more to help with heightened cleaning procedures. A district spokesman said 400 is the plan for when all grades return, and they will hire the remaining 300 custodians by that time.
Absent an agreement or injunction, the union is once again weighing its options.
“I am heartbroken we are being pushed into a corner where that’s even a consideration. Why would any mayor push human beings into a corner where they would have to strike?” Davis Gates said. “... Why won’t you create a plan that all of these stakeholders would sign off on, why are you forcing a plan with people who are anxious, who are experiencing trauma, who are fearful?”
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The union’s governing body meets Wednesday, and an email to members stresses that it’s “imperative that delegates attend this Wednesday’s House of Delegates meeting prepared to decide on next steps in this fight.”
hleone@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-08--Illinois to expand testing of prison workers as inmate deaths, infections surge

Dr. John Raba , the court-appointed monitor who is overseeing the reconstruction of the prisons ’ health care system , @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ ve got to do more than just two or three sites .
@ @ @ @ @ good , but it has to be understood that this has to be rolled out @ @ @ @ @ need a timeline to better understand when will every facility have it .
”

As the new COVID-19 surge continues racing through Illinois prisons, with a disturbing rise in inmate deaths in November plus the state’s first staff fatality, corrections officials said they will start to test all prison employees for the virus regardless of whether the workers have symptoms.
The testing will be rolled out in phases across the state, state officials said. The frequency will depend on the positivity rate of the county where the corrections facility is located but will be at least once a month, they said.
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Advocates for prisoners rights, who have campaigned for more robust testing since August, are calling for a specific, expedited timeline for the testing to be implemented. They argue that the state’s delays have led to avoidable infections, noting that the latest data shows that COVID-19 has infiltrated prisons across Illinois, killing at least 50 inmates since March. Half of them have died since mid-October.
In addition to the statewide testing, the Illinois Department of Corrections said that beginning this week, it will test workers and inmates every three days at three downstate prisons where infections are on the rise: two men’s prisons in Dixon and Vandalia and Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison in Lincoln.
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Dixon Correctional Center in Dixon on July 25, 2014. COVID-19 infections have been on the rise at the prison. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
About 100 inmates and 20 staff members at Logan are positive for the virus, with many others having recovered. The testing is expected to continue until no new cases are identified for two weeks.
Similar testing will occur at other prisons when an outbreak inside the facility is identified, officials said. The rest of the state’s nearly 30,000 prisoners will be tested only if they have symptoms or had a known exposure to the virus.
Lawyers and medical experts addressed the COVID-19 crisis Monday at a court hearing involving a federal consent decree related to improving health care for incarcerated men and women in Illinois.
Dr. John Raba, the court-appointed monitor who is overseeing the reconstruction of the prisons’ health care system, said of the testing: “We’ve got to do more than just two or three sites. I think their intentions are good, but it has to be understood that this has to be rolled out very fast. I really need a timeline to better understand when will every facility have it.”
Kelly Presley, the department’s chief public safety legal counsel, told U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso that officials understand the need for urgency and that IDOC will finalize its expanded staff testing plan for the remaining prisons by the end of the week. She said the department has been working with infectious disease experts, including the Illinois Department of Public Health, and following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The department does not plan on taking months to roll out surveillance testing,” she said. “There certainly is an understanding this needs to happen quickly, and certainly that is the plan.”
As of Monday, more than 5,000 inmates had tested positive for the virus since March, representing nearly a fifth of the prison population. Of the 50 state prison inmates who have died related to the virus, more than 90% were considered elderly.
Nearly 2,700 staff members have also tested positive. On Nov. 6, a 64-year-old nurse who worked in Vienna Correctional Center as a contractual employee died of COVID-19-related complications.
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The state’s response to the spread of the coronavirus in its prisons has included suspended visitations and limiting the movement of inmates throughout facilities. In addition to personal protective equipment and sanitation efforts, prison staff are screened and there are supposed to be regular temperature checks. Staff members also must wear masks on the job, though advocates say they have heard widespread complaints from inmates that the mask rule is not always strictly followed.
The department has conducted more than 33,000 tests of inmates and staff, state data shows.
Alan Mills, executive director of the Uptown People’s Law Center, said in an interview that Illinois cannot afford a further delay on expanded staff testing.
“Universal testing in New Jersey has eliminated a ‘second surge’ entirely,” he said. “Testing works. Further delay would be immoral and would violate the constitutional rights of Illinois prisoners.”
cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--If Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine receives FDA approval, here’s what it will mean for Chicago and the res

If Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine receives FDA approval, here’s what it will mean for Chicago and the rest of Illinois

If the FDA approves the vaccine , then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make recommendations about who @ @ @ @ @ offer guidance on how it should be given , Arwady said .
To do that @ @ @ @ @ convene a meeting of nongovernmental experts , likely within 24 to 48 hours of the @ @ @ @ @ she said .

All eyes will be on the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday when an advisory committee is set to meet and discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Thursday’s meeting marks one of the last hurdles before the Pfizer vaccine can be approved in the United States and begin shipping to health care providers, including in Illinois. Afterward, the committee will make its recommendation to the FDA, which will make the ultimate decision on approval.
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Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, gives an update about the COVID-19 vaccines and other pandemic news at City Hall on Dec. 1, 2020. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
“Thursday is a big day,” Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said in a question-and-answer session on Tuesday. “Approval could come within a matter of days after that.”
The FDA on Tuesday released preliminary documents on its website ahead of the meeting showing promising data, with the vaccine’s efficacy around 95% after the second dose.
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“It looks good,” Arwady said of the preliminary report, calling Tuesday an “exciting day.”
With possible approval of the Pfizer vaccine coming within days, officials in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois are preparing to receive the first doses, maybe as early as next week.
What is the timeline for distribution in Illinois?
Though vaccine approval in the U.S. could come in a matter of days, there are still a number of steps that have to happen before the vaccine can ship to Illinois. That means it could be a week or more after Thursday’s meeting until people here begin to receive the first doses.
The advisory committee that will meet Thursday is made up of nongovernmental scientists and public health experts from across the country. The group will discuss Pfizer’s request and make a recommendation to the FDA, which the agency will likely follow, Arwady said.
As for when the FDA’s decision could come, Arwady said, “It may be on Thursday. It may be on Friday. … It could even be a little bit later.”
If the FDA approves the vaccine, then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make final recommendations about who should receive the vaccine and offer guidance on how it should be given, Arwady said. To do that, the agency will also convene a meeting of nongovernmental experts, likely within 24 to 48 hours of the FDA’s decision, she said.
Then, after that meeting, it might be another day or two before the CDC issues its recommendations.
Only then can health care providers begin vaccinating people.
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[ ‘We are taking the time that we need,’ FDA head says, defending COVID-19 vaccine approval process ]
In Chicago, Arwady said the health department will be putting in formal requests for hospitals to start directly receiving the vaccine after the CDC issues its recommendations, and Pfizer will be able to ship them the doses.
“My anticipation is that we will likely start vaccinations in Chicago late next week or possibly the following week,” she said.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday said it is possible the vaccines could be shipped as early as this weekend.
Who will get it first?
Both the city and state have said that health care workers will receive the vaccine first, followed by people who live and work in long-term care facilities.
Illinois will likely initially get about 109,000 doses (although that is not guaranteed) to distribute among counties throughout the state. Of that, Chicago will receive 23,000 doses directly from the federal government and put its own plan for distribution into action.
Arwady said the city’s plan is to start vaccinations for staff at 34 hospitals — all the city’s hospitals except three behavioral hospitals. VA hospitals, though, will probably receive their allocations directly from the federal government, she said.
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Because Chicago will initially have a limited supply, the hospitals are also formulating plans about who will get the vaccines.
Even the largest hospitals will probably only get two boxes of the Pfizer vaccine, or just under 2,000 doses.
Each box contains 975 doses, Arwady said. The smallest hospitals probably won’t even receive one full box.
The health department recommends vaccinating the highest-risk workers, such as those in emergency rooms, intensive care units and on COVID-19 floors. That doesn’t necessarily only include doctors and nurses, but also respiratory therapists and other workers.
“Each hospital will make its own decision,” she said.
Then officials will distribute the vaccine to 128 long-term care facilities, she said, forming a partnership with pharmacies that will send “strike teams” to the homes. Arwady estimated that those residents might get the vaccine in the second and third weeks after Chicago receives its first batch.
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Within weeks of receiving the initial vaccine doses, the Chicago Department of Public Health plans to open appointment-only vaccination clinics for the city’s roughly 400,000 health care workers, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said during a news conference on Wednesday.
The city expects to receive additional doses each week after the initial batch, and hopes to have about 100,000 doses by the end of the year, Lightfoot said.
In Illinois, the state will distribute its allocation to hospitals serving the 50 counties across the state with the highest death rates from the virus, officials said in a news conference last week. That includes Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties in the Chicago area.
What about the general public?
Despite the optimism caused by this week’s vaccine news, including news of the first vaccinations in the United Kingdom, officials were quick to caution that it will still take months to receive enough of the vaccine to reach everyone.
“We need to remember that widespread community vaccine distribution in Chicago is still many months away,” Lightfoot said at Wednesday’s press event. “I don’t want people to think that they can stop doing the kinds of public health directives … not the least of which is wearing a face covering when you go out in public.”
During a news conference on Tuesday, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said it will probably take “months” to roll out the vaccine to priority groups, and even longer to reach the general public.
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The initial 109,000 doses will only vaccinate a small portion of the state’s nearly 655,000 front-line health care workers and more than 109,000 long-term care residents.
The Pfizer vaccine comes in two doses administered about three weeks apart, and officials have said that people who receive their first dose from the first shipment of 109,000 will receive their second dose from future shipments.
“I ask that people be patient,” Ezike said. “We still are going to need to wear our masks and watch our gatherings.”
Still, Chicago officials said on Wednesday it is their goal to vaccinate all adult residents in 2021 free of charge.
The state will hopefully eventually receive an influx of vaccines from other companies too. On Tuesday, Arwady reminded people that the Pfizer vaccine is not the only one likely to be circulated. Moderna will likely go through the same approval process later this month, with that vaccine possibly distributed in Illinois around Christmas. Other companies like Johnson & Johnson are in different stages of development and testing, Arwady said.
The state’s vaccine plan outlines three priority groups: critical health care workers, staff and residents in long-term facilities and workforce members who provide “essential functions of society.”
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The definition of essential workers is broad, and includes people working in manufacturing, transportation and food and agriculture.
The plan says the general population can begin receiving vaccines when a large number of doses are available and the critical populations have received the vaccination.
County health officials are developing their own plans for distribution. In counties with less density, officials are looking into drive-thru options in parking lots and other large, open-air areas, even the Six Flags amusement park.
In Lake County, the health department has opened a portal where residents can register to be notified when the vaccine is available to them. Residents can register online here or call (847) 377-8130.
In Chicago, Lightfoot said the city is working with “partners at all levels of our city’s distribution chain” to ensure the vaccine is distributed as quickly and safely as possible, with equitable distribution to the city’s most hard hit areas a top priority. Officials are looking at using “large centralized sites” like the City Colleges of Chicago facilities and mobile sites that would deploy to areas most in need.
Pfizer’s request also asks for authorization for people 16 years and older. Children younger than 12 have not been part of major U.S. trials for the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Officials have said the eventual goal is to vaccinate 80% of the population to reach herd immunity.


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 7,910 new COVID-19 cases and 145 more deaths reported Tuesday as va

Coronavirus in Illinois updates: 7,910 new COVID-19 cases and 145 more deaths reported Tuesday as vaccine could be days away from arriving in the state

It took him four days to be able to get a test , for which he paid $ 150 .
@ @ @ @ @ with his staff , encouraging them all to get tested , too .
For some @ @ @ @ @ it took two weeks to get tested and receive results , preventing them from working @ @ @ @ @ to pivot his business for the second time since March and to reopen the two @ @ @ @ @ 2 as COVID-19 testing sites .

We have lifted the paywall on this story. To support essential reporting, please consider becoming a subscriber .
CTU workers direct vehicles lined up for COVID-19 testing outside of the Chicago Teachers Union on Dec. 30, 2021, in Chicago. CPS starts back to school on Monday following their holiday break. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 7,910 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, putting the state over 800,000 cases since the pandemic began. The state now has 804,174 cases and 13,487 fatalities after 145 new deaths were reported Tuesday.
The new numbers came as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s top public health official on Tuesday sought to allay fears about the safety of a new coronavirus vaccine developed under intense pressure on an expedited schedule. The first shipment of the vaccine to Illinois possibly just days away.
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Although it was developed and tested in a matter of months, the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, which could receive emergency use authorization from the FDA soon after an advisory panel meets Thursday, is based on decades of research on coronaviruses and has been thoroughly reviewed by teams of experts, Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 briefing.
Meanwhile, Chicagoans traveling to destinations with COVID-19 restrictions are getting more options to get tested before flying. The Chicago Department of Aviation aims to have testing sites at O’Hare and Midway airports up and running next week before December holiday travel begins, and American Airlines is expanding access to at-home testing kits.
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Here’s what’s happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:
7:45 p.m.: If Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine receives FDA approval, here’s what it will mean for Chicago and the rest of Illinois
All eyes will be on the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday when an advisory committee is set to meet and discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency-use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Thursday’s meeting marks one of the last hurdles before the Pfizer vaccine can be approved in the United States and begin shipping to health care providers, including in Illinois. Afterward, the committee will make its recommendation to the FDA, which will make the ultimate decision on approval.
“Thursday is a big day,” Chicago Department of Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said in a question-and-answer session on Tuesday. “Approval could come within a matter of days after that.”
The FDA on Tuesday released preliminary documents on its website ahead of the meeting showing promising data, with the vaccine’s efficacy around 95% after the second dose.
“It looks good,” Arwady said of the preliminary report, calling Tuesday an “exciting day.”
With possible approval of the Pfizer vaccine coming within days, officials in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois are preparing to receive the first doses, maybe as early as next week.
Read more here. —Madeline Buckley
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7:20 p.m. (update): White House offers COVID-19 relief package that would send $600 direct payment to most Americans
The Trump administration dove back into Capitol Hill’s confusing COVID-19 negotiations on Tuesday, offering a $916 billion package to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the offer to Pelosi late Tuesday afternoon, he said in a statement. He offered few details, though House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said it proposes the $600 direct payment for individuals and $1,200 for couples, which is half the payment delivered by the March pandemic relief bill.
Mnuchin reached out to Pelosi after a call with top congressional GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who remains at odds with Democratic leaders over COVID-19 relief.
Read more here. —Associated Press
5:40 p.m.: Coronavirus vaccine could be days away from arriving in Illinois
With the first shipment of a new coronavirus vaccine to Illinois possibly just days away, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s top public health official on Tuesday sought to allay fears about the safety of an immunization developed under intense pressure on an expedited schedule.
Although it was developed and tested in a matter of months, the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, which could receive emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration soon after an advisory panel meets Thursday, is based on decades of research on coronaviruses and has been thoroughly reviewed by teams of experts, Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 briefing.
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The governor’s remarks came the same day the FDA released its initial review of data on the Pfizer vaccine and as the immunizations began in the United Kingdom. While Pfizer’s own study is still in progress, the FDA analysis of the company’s data found that, so far, the vaccine appears safe and more than 90% effective.
Still, Illinois, like other states, has its own panel of experts reviewing the FDA’s analysis, Pritzker said.
“We all want to make sure this vaccine is safe, and additional sets of eyes on the evidence can only be helpful,” he said.
Read more here. —Dan Petrella
4 p.m.: School employees should be priority in vaccine rollout, Illinois teachers unions say
The two largest teachers unions in Illinois are calling on the state legislature to put educators on the shortlist for the COVID-19 vaccine, and are asking for rapid testing at schools and guidance they say is essential to ensure school buildings are safe for in-person student learning.
Officials with the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers said school districts’ failure to follow Illinois Department of Public Health guidance and requirements for schools has put “the health of teachers, students, and communities at risk.”
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Read more here. —Karen Ann Cullotta
3:45 p.m.: Biden vows to reopen most of nation’s schools, distribute at least 100 million vaccines in 1st 100 days
Joe Biden pledged Tuesday to bring the coronavirus pandemic under enough control to open most of the nation’s schools during his first 100 days as president — going much further on the issue than he has in the past, even while warning that the U.S. is facing a “dark winter.”
The president-elect said that promise is dependent on Congress providing sufficient funding to protect students, teachers and campus staff. He made it during an event in Delaware to introduce a team of health experts set to help the new administration combat a virus that has already killed more than 285,000 Americans.
Biden said he plans to distribute at least 100 million vaccines during his first 100 days in the White House and will seek to reopen most of the nation’s schools over the same period.
“It should be a national priority to get our kids back into school and keep them in school,” Biden said. “If Congress provides the funding, we need to protect students, educators and staff. If states and cities put strong public health measures in place that we all follow, then my team will work to see that the majority of our schools can be open by the end of my first 100 days.”
Read more here. —Associated Press
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3:40 p.m.: COVID-19 relief package in the balance as McConnell pushes a smaller deal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Capitol Hill’s most powerful Republican, proposed Tuesday to shelve a controversial pet provision for an emerging COVID-19 relief package — but only if Democrats agree to shelve one of their top priorities, too.
McConnell, R-Ky., said he would drop a provision that would provide a shield against lawsuits for COVID-related negligence. In exchange, McConnell wants House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to drop a demand for $160 billion or so to help states and local governments with fiscal relief.
McConnell’s offer came as a group of pragmatic, mostly moderate senators are themselves negotiating over the two contentious issues as they seek to dislodge the long-stuck COVID-19 relief effort. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for instance, said he’s seeking a compromise on the tricky liability shield issue.
The group of moderates, led by Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Susan Collins of Maine, are seeking to rally rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties behind a $908 billion framework. It is more generous than a GOP plan that’s been filibustered twice already but far smaller than a wish list assembled by House Democrats.
Read more here. —Associated Press
3:20 p.m.: Believers find ways to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe for annual feast despite COVID-19 restrictions
Every year, Eusebia Flores prays the novena for Our Lady of Guadalupe in the days leading up to the feast in her honor on Dec. 12, a prodigious celebration for Catholics in Mexico and the United States.
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That day, Flores said, it is essential to thank the mother of Jesus for all that she has done, but this year is special: Flores, who is a few months shy of 95, survived the coronavirus.
“I prayed to her with love and now I’m grateful that we are all healthy once again,” Flores said in Spanish.
For many Catholics, the feast this year will be more significant, despite changes in celebrations brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. While some, like Flores, thank the Virgin Mary for being healthy, others pray for the strength to deal with the pain of losing a loved one to COVID-19, said the Rev. Thomas J. Boharic.
“But it is the faith that has helped to carry them through regardless,” said Boharic, the pastor at Our Lady of Tepeyac, Assumption and St. Roman Parish on the West Side.
Driven by that faith, devotees in the Chicago area have found ways to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe despite the COVID-19 restrictions, which led to the cancellation of the Dec. 11-12 overnight celebration at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, the largest one outside Mexico City.
Read more here. —Laura Rodríguez Presa
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2:55 p.m.: O’Hare, Midway aim to open COVID-19 testing sites next week as American Airlines widens access to at-home tests
Chicagoans traveling to destinations with COVID-19 travel restrictions are getting more options to get tested before flying.
The Chicago Department of Aviation aims to have testing sites at O’Hare and Midway airports up and running next week before December holiday travel begins, and American Airlines is expanding access to at-home testing kits.
Many international destinations and some domestic ones, including Hawaii, have travel restrictions that require passengers to test negative for COVID-19. Some require PCR tests, which can take up to 72 hours to return results. Rapid antigen test results can be available within 20 minutes.
The Aviation Department’s testing sites will offer both types to all passengers and airport employees, making them the most comprehensive of any airport system in the U.S., spokesman Matt McGrath said in an email Tuesday.
O’Hare will have a walk-up testing site adjacent to the terminal before travelers go through security and a drive-up site in a remote parking lot. Midway will have a walk-up testing site in the terminal. People seeking a test must show proof they plan to fly within the next 72 hours, or that they took a flight within the past five days. Airport employees are also eligible for testing.
The maximum price providers can charge is $150 per test and the PCR test is expected to cost slightly more than the antigen test. Testing facilities will accept insurance, according to the Aviation Department.
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Read more here. —Lauren Zumbach
12:10 p.m.: 7,910 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, 145 deaths reported
Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 7,910 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, putting the state over 800,000 cases since the pandemic began.
The state now has 804,174 cases and 13,487 fatalities after 145 new deaths were reported Tuesday.
There were 95,825 tests reported in the previous 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate for the past seven days is 11.8%.
11:40 a.m.: Chicago alderman’s Ann Sather restaurant facing up to $10,500 in possible fines for indoor dining violations
Wrigleyville Ald. Tom Tunney’s Ann Sather restaurant is facing up to $10,500 in possible fines from the city after the Chicago aldermen acknowledged letting people eat inside the establishment in violation of city and state rules designed to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
How much Tunney’s Lakeview restaurant ultimately gets fined will be determined by the Department of Administrative Hearings at a later date.
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The city also cited an unlicensed event at 1257 N. Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park. Officials responded to a call early on Dec. 5 and found “a bouncer outside of an event billed as the ‘Wicker Loft,’” Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office said in a statement.
There were 142 people in the building who either weren’t social distancing or wearing face coverings and the city cited them for operating an illegal, unlicensed club, officials said.
City officials also cited River North CrossFit for allegedly conducting indoor fitness classes, Randy’s Lounge on Cottage Grove for allegedly holding an indoor event with 42 attendees, Volare restaurant on Grand and Firewater Saloon on Oliphant for allegedly allowing indoor dining. Another business, Flava Luxx on Madison, was cited for allegedly holding an indoor event with 22 attendees eating and drinking without social distancing or face coverings, the city said.
Read more here. —Gregory Pratt and John Byrne
11:22 a.m.: Indiana has nation’s 2nd highest per-capita COVID-19 spread, CDC says
In the past week, Indiana has the nation’s second highest per capita COVID-19 spread, after Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That trend appears to show the state’s outlook is getting worse, even as cases and hospitalization rates hit all-time highs recently.
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The CDC reported Indiana had 48,000 new coronavirus cases reported in the past week, or 103.1 per 100,000. Rhode Island, reported 8,100 new cases, or 110.6 per 100,000.
Indiana reported 124 new virus deaths Tuesday, with more than 6,100 total deaths and 300 more suspected deaths. With 485,000 people, Lake County hit 500 virus deaths Tuesday. By comparison, South Korea, a country of 51 million, has 552 COVID-19 deaths.
Read more here. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Post Tribune
10:35 a.m.: Mexican restaurants pivot to COVID-19 test sites to increase access for communities in need
You may be familiar with the tacos and margaritas at Moe’s Cantina, but perhaps not with the restaurant chain’s latest line of business. The two locations of the Chicago restaurant have nixed Northern Mexican fare (for now) to transform into COVID-19 testing facilities. Owner Sam Sanchez has partnered with medical professionals to oversee the testing and hired former employees to take care of the nonmedical aspects.
The venture marks the second big pivot for Sanchez’s restaurant group, Third Coast Hospitality, which includes two Moe’s Cantinas and also two locations of Old Crow Smokehouse. At the River North location of the latter, Sanchez has been manufacturing and selling masks since June while simultaneously running restaurant operations. But after the second indoor dining shutdown ordered by the state took effect in late October, Sanchez closed both locations of Moe’s Cantina. Then, in November, something happened to make Sanchez see a new need: He began exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.
It took him four days to be able to get a test, for which he paid $150. He shared his positive result with his staff, encouraging them all to get tested, too. For some of them, however, it took two weeks to get tested and receive results, preventing them from working. The experience convinced Sanchez to pivot his business for the second time since March and to reopen the two Moe’s restaurants Dec. 2 as COVID-19 testing sites.
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“There’s no way that should take that long,” Sanchez said of the extended waits people have endured to get tested. “People need to work, see their parents and travel. ... People need tests now.”
Read more here. —Grace Wong
10:30 a.m.: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine about 70% effective, new results show, but questions remain about protection for those over 55
New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for a vaccine that health officials hope to rely on around the world because of its low cost, availability and ease of use.
Still, experts say the vaccine seems likely to be approved, despite some confusion in the results and lower levels of protection than what other vaccine candidates have shown.
Read more here. —Associated Press
9:20 a.m.: US regulators post positive review of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine data
Documents released by U.S. regulators Tuesday confirmed that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was strongly protective against COVID-19 — offering the world’s first detailed look at the evidence behind the shots.
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The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis online even as across the Atlantic, Britain on Tuesday began vaccinating its oldest citizens with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
But the U.S. judges experimental vaccines in a unique way: On Thursday, the FDA will convene what’s essentially a science court that will debate — in public and live-streamed — just how strong the data backing the shots really is.
A panel of independent scientists will pick apart the FDA’s first-pass review before recommending whether the vaccine appears safe and effective enough for millions of Americans. The FDA, which typically follows the committee’s advice, is expected to issue a decision in the days following the review. If given the green light, the first recipients would be health care workers and nursing home residents according to plans laid out by each state.
Read more here. —Associated Press
7:15 a.m. Funeral Tuesday for Chicago cop who died in November, as medical examiner rules death was from COVID-19
A funeral was scheduled Tuesday for Chicago police Officer Titus Moore, a 14-year veteran who died at home Nov. 24, as the Cook County medical examiner’s office determined Moore died from a COVID-19 infection.
Three other officers had died from coronavirus-related causes as of Monday, along with 1,526 officers and 46 non-officer department employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the department. Moore was found dead at his West Chesterfield home Nov. 24 and the medical examiner’s office marked his autopsy results pending following an autopsy that week. The office has now ruled that Moore, 46, died from a COVID-19 infection, with other natural causes as contributing factors, according to the medical examiner’s data portal.
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Moore’s private funeral service was scheduled for Tuesday morning at Leak & Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave., with internment at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, according to a police news release.
Moore, a field training officer, was hired in February 2006 and most recently worked in the Calumet District. Moore also had worked in the Grand Crossing District. He received more than 70 department awards, including three police commendations, the superintendent’s award of valor and a life saving award. His father, Theopsy Moore also was an officer. He is survived by his father and two sisters, according to the release.
—Chicago Tribune staff
6 a.m.: U. of C. study highlights child care barriers in Chicago’s Latino communities.
When the pandemic forced many day care centers across the city to close, it created a hardship for many local families and added even more difficulty to some who had already faced a tough time finding care in their communities.
Child care challenges in predominantly Latino Chicago communities were noted in a recent University of Chicago Chapin Hall report. The report showed that 86% of Latino families in Illinois live in child care deserts.
Researchers spoke to child care center directors and 32 Latina mothers who live in Belmont Cragin on the Northwest Side and Little Village on the West Side with at least one child under age 5. Mothers said they wanted more child care information and cited barriers such as access (bilingual resources are not always available), cost and convenience. Little Village moms said there were not many programs near their homes. Belmont Cragin moms shared their experiences of being waitlisted or referred elsewhere.
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While the parent interviews were recorded between 2018 and 2019, researcher Aida Pacheco-Applegate said COVID-19 has only amplified the challenges. The study notes how the pandemic has laid bare what communities of color already face: health disparities.
Read the full story here. —Alison Bowen and Laura Rodríguez Presa
Breaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.
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chicagotribune--2020-12-09--1 shot after gunfire exchanged with Chicago police in Rogers Park, officials say

Four others were taken to hospitals with minor injuries , Velez said .
It ’ s unclear if those with @ @ @ @ @ civilians .
One also went to St. Francis Hospital and the rest were taken to @ @ @ @ @ .

A Chicago police supervisor talks with officers at the scene where shots were fired at and by police in the 6900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Dec. 8, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Chicago police shot and seriously wounded a man who opened fire on officers after they stopped his car in Rogers Park while investigating a domestic incident Tuesday evening, authorities said.
No officers were injured but four were taken to hospitals for observation, police said.
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The man was taken to Amita St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition, according to Chicago Deputy Fire Chief Frank Velez.
Officers pulled over the car in the 6900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue about 4:55 p.m., police said in a statement. A man got out of the car and fired several shots at the officers.
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The officers returned fire and hit the man. Police said they recovered a gun.
[ Ohio man fatally shot by police was holding a sandwich, not a gun, his family says ]
Deputy Chief of Operations Randall Darlin told reporters at the scene that tactical officers from the Rogers Park police district “were conducting a follow-up investigation into a domestic violence incident” when they spotted the suspect’s car and pulled it over.
“This is the 72nd incident this year that police officers in the city of Chicago have been fired upon,” he said.
Police did not say how many shots were fired by the man and the officers. The officers’ body cameras were operating during the shooting, police spokesman Tom Ahern said.
[ Off-duty Chicago officer involved in ‘domestic-related’ fatal shooting at Garfield Ridge home, police say ]
Yellow police tape was strung across Lunt Avenue on busy Clark Street. To the west, tape blocked off Lunt at Ravenswood where Metra trains stopped at the platform above. Officers directed passengers getting off the train to go around the scene.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability responded to the scene, and the officers involved in the shooting will be assigned to routine 30-day administrative duties, Darlin said.
Police involved shooting 6900 blk of N. Ravenswood. Shots fired at and by the police. No officers hurt. One person shot and transported to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. Condition unknown. Firearm recovered. PIO in route. Media staging Farwell & Ravenswood #ChicagoPolice pic.twitter.com/elRILeb2U0 — Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) December 8, 2020
pfry@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @paigexfry


chicagotribune--2020-12-09--Chicago cop who died of COVID-19 in November given honors funeral

“ It ’ s been the most challenging time for policing that anyone can remember , ” said Brown , @ @ @ @ @ a mask like hundreds of other officers outside the funeral home .
“ Our courts @ @ @ @ @ .
Our jails are not functioning at full capacity , and yet the Police department @ @ @ @ @ the front lines protecting and serving this city .
”

An honor guard carries the casket of Chicago police Officer Titus Moore after his funeral at Leak & Sons Funeral Homes on Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago on Dec. 8, 2020. Moore died from COVID-19. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Titus Moore followed in his father’s footsteps 14 years ago to become a Chicago police officer.
But instead of thinking of the younger Moore patrolling the South Side, catching bad guys and training younger cops, his family knew him as funny and caring, and with great dance moves.
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“Because he was quiet, people don’t often know that about him,” his sister, Thea Moore, said during his funeral service Tuesday morning.
Titus Moore, 46, died Nov. 24 of COVID-19, making him the fourth Chicago police officer this year to die of the virus.
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Outside the funeral home, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown expressed condolences to Moore’s family and recognized his service to the department. Brown told reporters about how COVID-19 has made 2020 such a difficult year for policing.
“It’s been the most challenging time for policing that anyone can remember,” said Brown, clad in dress blues and a mask like hundreds of other officers outside the funeral home. “Our courts have slowed to a crawl. Our jails are not functioning at full capacity, and yet the Police department is continuing to be on the front lines protecting and serving this city.”
Moore was granted a full honors funeral by the department. Typically honors funerals, which include a police car procession to the cemetery, a department-sanctioned musical ensemble and public remarks from top city officials, are reserved for officers slain in the line of duty.
But that changed when the department decided on honors funerals for three other Chicago cops who earlier this year died from the virus, Officers Marco DiFranco and Ronald Newman, and Sgt. Clifford Martin.
For Moore and the three other officers, there were no public speeches at the service from Brown, Mayor Lori Lightfoot or Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker. Only a limited number of people were allowed inside the funeral home Tuesday because of social-distancing restrictions.
In the meantime, dozens of squad cars with officers seated inside were parked along East 79th Street and on South Cottage Grove Avenue outside of Leak and Sons Funeral Home, where the service was held.
Inside, Moore’s casket was cloaked in the Chicago flag, as a “Blue Lives Matter” flag sitting against the bottom of it. Several police supervisors walked past the open casket, one by one, and saluted.
Moore’s sister, Thea, told about a dozen attendees, primarily family members, about how he was being a “typical little brother” when he once tattled on her when she used the slot machines during a trip to Las Vegas. She was only 15 and “shouldn’t have been gambling.”
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“He told everybody that I wasn’t 18, but not before I hit the jackpot for $50,” Moore recalled to laughs.
The third of four children, Titus Moore graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School on the Near West Side and earned two associate’s degrees in applied science from Triton College in suburban River Grove, according to his sister.
He was a “self-described” introvert, his sister said, and an avid reader “of a large variety of topics.” Thea Moore recalled once how he once sent her an article about what people should know about introverts.
“One of the things that I took from that article is that introverts like to think a lot, and anyone who knew Titus knows that, again, he read a lot but he thought deeply about a lot of things,” Thea Moore said. “You could talk to him about, just about anything.”
According to the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 7, the city’s largest police union, Moore’s family had previously expressed their frustration that there hadn’t initially been plans for the Police Department to give him an honors funeral as it had DiFranco, Newman and Martin.
Moore had tested positive for COVID-19, but unlike the three other officers, the Cook County medical examiner’s office didn’t initially rule Moore’s death as virus-related. Moore’s autopsy results last month came back inconclusive and pending further studies. By this week, the medical examiner’s office officially had ruled Moore’s cause of death as arising from COVID-19.
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On Tuesday morning outside the funeral home, Brown wouldn’t discuss why the department didn’t initially grant Moore an honors funeral until late last week, but said, “We took the normal process and we recognized this officer to the fullest extent and his sacrifice.”
As of Monday, more than 1,500 Chicago police officers and 46 civilian CPD employees tested positive for the virus since it took shape in March.
After the service, a procession of squad cars escorted Titus Moore’s body to Forest Home Cemetery in suburban Forest Park.
Thea Moore said her brother was “hard-working and excelled in his career,” following in the footsteps of his father, Theopsy Moore, who was a Chicago police officer for 23 years. At the time of his death, Titus Moore, a Chicago cop since 2006, was assigned as a field training officer in the Calumet patrol district, which covers such far South Side communities as Roseland and West Pullman.
jgorner@chicagotribune.com