'Majority' Hospitalized With COVID-19 Are Unvaccinated: Aurora

Aurora IL

10 December, 2021

3:05 PM

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AURORA, IL — As the first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant has been confirmed in Chicago earlier this week, Aurora hospitals said the majority of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, city officials said in a post on Facebook. Aurora hospital officials are reporting spikes in COVID-19 cases, and they're still "flooded" with patients sick with the delta variant of the virus, according to the Chicago Tribune, which also reported that county-wide, cases have more than doubled over the last month. Rush Copley Medical Center and AMITA Health Mercy Medical Center each went from seeing COVID-19 hospital admissions in the single digits each day in October to 2o or 30 cases per day this month, the Tribune reported. Of Aurora zip codes, 60502 has the highest percentage — currently 71.76 — of fully vaccinated residents, state data shows. Comparably, only about 41 percent of residents in the 60505 zip code are fully vaccinated. It's the zip code in Aurora with the fewest people vaccinated. Zip codes 60503 and 60504 are both hovering in the 66 percent range of fully vaccinated residents, while residents in 60506 are behind the two with only 58.23 percent who have received all doses. According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, 59.5 percent of Kane County residents are fully vaccinated — putting them just under President Joe Biden's goal to have 70 percent of the population vaccinated. A higher number of residents are half vaccinated, though. Data shows about 65.36 percent of county residents have received at least one dose. The new reports of local hospitals crowded with COVID-19 patients come as the Kane County Health Department announces its vaccination site in Batavia, Kane Vax Hub, will be closing in early January. The last vaccination clinic at the hub, 501 N. Randall Road, will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 15. Once the facility closes, KCHD will start offering vaccine appointments at its Aurora office, 1240 N. Highland Ave. As of Thursday, the health department announced it has administered 182,768 doses of COVID-19 vaccine at 270 community clinics, Patch reported. RELATED: 1st Omicron COVID-19 Case Confirmed In Illinois