COVID-19 in Illinois updates: Here’s what’s happening Monday

Difficulty in securing vaccination appointments continues, worsened by last week’s delay in federal vaccine shipments caused by the extreme cold and winter weather. Some are turning to social media for help finding appointments.

The number of Illinois residents who have been fully vaccinated — receiving both of the required shots — reached 571,260, or 4.48% of the total population.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. topped 500,000 Monday, all but matching the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.

The lives lost, as recorded by Johns Hopkins University, are about equal to the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and greater than that of Miami; Raleigh, North Carolina; or Omaha, Nebraska.

Here’s what’s happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. topped 500,000 Monday, all but matching the number of Americans killed in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.

The lives lost, as recorded by Johns Hopkins University, are about equal to the population of Kansas City, Missouri, and greater than that of Miami; Raleigh, North Carolina; or Omaha, Nebraska.

And despite the rollout of vaccines since mid-December, a closely watched model from the University of Washington projects more than 589,000 dead by June 1.

The U.S. toll is by far the highest reported in the world, and the true numbers are thought to be significantly greater, in part because of the many cases that were overlooked, especially early in the outbreak.

When the Shuttered Venue Operators relief package became law at the end of 2020, arts industry business owners saw it as a long-delayed means of survival: $15 billion in grants designated for the music venues, movie and live theaters and museums and zoos that had been closed or operating at limited capacity since the pandemic began.

But now it’s late February and the organizations — many of which are running on fumes and the kindness of their landlords — are getting anxious about the fact that they can’t even apply for the grants yet.

“I still cannot apply for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant,” wrote Donnie Biggins, owner of the Lincoln Park music venue Tonic Room, in a Twitter thread Sunday. “To still be waiting for the chance to apply for SVOG is crushing the live music industry even worse.”

Democratic leaders have a potent dynamic on their side as Congress preps for its first votes on the party’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill: Would any Democrat dare cast the vote that scuttles new President Joe Biden’s leadoff initiative?

Democrats’ wafer-thin 10-vote House majority leaves little room for defections in the face of solid Republican opposition, and they have none in a 50-50 Senate they control only with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote. Internal Democratic disputes remain over issues like raising the minimum wage, how much aid to funnel to struggling state and local governments and whether to extend emergency unemployment benefits for an extra month.

Yet with the House Budget Committee planning to approve the 591-page package Monday, Democrats across the party’s spectrum show little indication they’re willing to embarrass Biden with a high-profile defeat a month into his presidency.

Difficulty in securing vaccination appointments continues, worsened by last week’s delay in federal vaccine shipments caused by the extreme cold and winter weather.

Officials also reported 37,361 new tests in the last 24 hours. The seven-day statewide rolling positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 2.8% for the period ending Sunday.

A former Gap manager loses his job of nearly 20 years and becomes a welder.

A restaurant server loses hers and starts working at a cannabis dispensary.

A personal trainer, who once worked in finance, starts looking for a role in supply chain management.

Across Chicago, the job market is tight as the ongoing health crisis continues to batter parts of the U.S. economy, forcing workers in some of the hardest-hit industries to switch careers. Some are learning new skills through certification programs at local colleges while others turn to workforce development programs in hopes of landing a job.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Evanston Mayor Hagerty were scheduled to tour a popup coronavirus vaccine clinic at an Evanston senior citizen housing complex, according to officials.

The clinic at the Victor Walchirk Apartments is part of the county’s effort to vaccinate people in the 1b phase of vaccination, including those age 65 or older.

Preckwinkle and Hagerty were scheduled to tour the clinic and meet residents of the complex who are receiving vaccines.

Check back for updates. —Chicago Tribune staff

In search of a COVID-19 vaccine for her dad, Amber Dow was hitting one dead end after another.

Then she received a private Facebook message from a stranger: Go to the Jewel-Osco website right now. Enter your ZIP code. It’s in Palatine.

She immediately followed the instructions and snagged one of the grocery store’s last few open spots that day. Her father, 80-year-old Duane Dow, got his first shot on Wednesday.

The tip came from the Facebook site Chicago Vaccine Hunters, a group of more than 11,000 members who collect and share information on where to get vaccinated in real time, as new locations and time slots emerge.

With COVID-19 vaccine in short supply, more locals are turning to social media for help as they scour the internet for available immunizations.

Mardi Gras came, went and left a Palatine bakery with a problem: too many ingredients for paczki, the traditional Polish doughnuts Americans eat on Fat Tuesday, and not enough customers.

Paczki Day usually helps sales at Spunky Dunkers Donuts for a full month or two, and customers often buy dozens of paczki to take to the office. But during a pandemic when many are working from home and after back-to-back snowstorms, “it was looking a little scary,” said owner Jan Daczewitz.

Daczewitz, who said she wasn’t the most tech-savvy, asked some employees to put out a call on Facebook on Thursday afternoon.

“So, real talk. We need your help,” began the bakery’s post, which was shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook and liked more than 6,000 times on Instagram. The effect was almost immediate.

Lines formed around the store. The bakery doubled its baking shifts from two to four, Daczewitz said. She called in all of the employees she could, even former workers, an estimated six to 10 of whom came in to help out. Some employees stayed to work extra hours.

Since Thursday, the store went through as many as 10,000 baked goods in three days, she estimated, until it ran out of basic doughnut supplies.

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