Illinois records highest single day of COVID deaths in months

CHICAGO - Illinois has recorded its highest single day of deaths from COVID-19 in months.

State health officials said Thursday there were 62 new deaths on Wednesday. The last time the numbers had been this high was in mid-February, before the vaccines were widely available.

Cases are being driven by the delta variant, and the unvaccinated.

Also on Wednesday, Chicago health officials added Vermont to its COVID-19 travel advisory — which now includes every U.S. state and territory.

Vermont joined the list after surpassing the mark of 15 positive coronavirus cases per day, per 100,000 residents.

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Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for the United States and other countries to put a full stop on booster shots.

The WHO Chief said there should be a moratorium for at least the rest of this year so that other developing countries can get their first doses.

In the U.S., 75 percent of adults have gotten at least one vaccine shot — and the numbers are getting higher, even here in Illinois because of the variants.

New data from the Illinois Department of Public Health is sounding the alarm.

Right now, more residents in Illinois are hospitalized with COVID-19 since February, as ICU beds fill up. There are 3,100 ICU beds statewide, and only 679 are available.