–Capitol News Illinois As the omicron variant surges across the state, last week Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that hos- pitalizations are about as high as they were last winter before vaccines were widely available. About 85 percent of those hos- pitalized with COVID-19 across

the state are unvaccinated.

“It is frustrating and tragic that two years into the pan- demic, with multiple widely available and free, life-saving vaccines, that we are once again in this horrible position,” Pritz- ker said during a news confer-

ence in Chicago.

The Illinois Public Health

Department reported 6,294 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, the most since the pandemic began. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, IDPH director, said an average of 550 people are being admitted to hospitals each day.

With hospital beds for other emergencies “frighteningly lim- ited,” Pritzker joined the Illinois Health and Hospital Association in urging health care providers to postpone non-emergency sur- geries and procedures as needed to accommodate the influx of COVID-19 cases.

“This surge is testing our health resources yet again,” A.J. Wilhelmi, CEO and president of the IHA said.

Though hospitals have be- come accustomed to managing bed capacity and the needs of COVID-19 patients over the course of the pandemic, Wilhel- mi said the best way for people to provide relief for health care workers and facilities is to get vaccinated and boosted.

More than 19 million vaccines have been administered with about 60 percent of Illinois resi- dents fully vaccinated against COVID-19.