Breakthrough COVID cases: 169 fully vaccinated dead, 644 hospitalized in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - More than 100 fully vaccinated people have died and 644 fully vaccinated people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in breakthrough cases, Illinois health officials said.
Since the beginning of this year, 169 people who were vaccinated against COVID-19 have died from the virus. That means that among all COVID-19 deaths, 2.44 percent of individuals who died were fully vaccinated.
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There have also been 644 fully vaccinated individuals hospitalized because of COVID-19. The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is only reporting breakthrough infections of patients who were hospitalized or have died from the virus.
State health officials said a breakthrough case is defined as a person who tests positive for COVID-19 at least 14 days after being fully vaccinated and did not test positive for the virus in the previous 45 days.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its mask guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, citing new information about the ability of the delta variant to spread by those who have been vaccinated.
The CDC is now recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors again in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging and that everyone in K-12 schools wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.
DuPage County and McHenry County both issued new mask guidance Wednesday, saying everyone should be wearing masks indoors as the COVID-19 spread ramps up again.