Today marked the three-year anniversary of the first confirmed case of covid-19 in Illinois. Since that initial case, more than four million Illinoisans have been infected with the virus and over 36 thousand have died. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Doctor Sameer Vohra says moving forward:
“We will look through to see if we have a vaccine every year that can be updated. I think it is going to teach us different ways to continue to practice those precautions to keep us from getting sick. I think it is also a test for us to best understand what the future of our public health system is.”
Vohra says lessons learned during the pandemic helped guide the state’s response to the m-pox outbreak and to monitor travelers from areas where Ebola is a problem. He adds that there is more work to be done to stop the spread of misinformation and to address health inequities.
***Courtesy of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services***
