Bolingbrook Mayor, IDPH Director Have Phase 5 Q&A

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Illinois entered Phase 5 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan Friday. Capacities have been lifted and life seems to be getting back to normal as more people are walking around without masks on. After more than a year of restrictions as a result of the pandemic, getting readjusted to "normal" might take some time.

To help Bolingbrook residents, Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta asked Director of Illinois Department of Public Health Dr. Ngozi O. Ezike questions about Phase 5 and what to expect moving forward June 15.

Here's a recap of their Q&A session.

Q: What does Phase 5 look like today?

A: The main thing is that capacity restrictions have gone away. As I did notice this weekend, a lot of places this weekend were at 100-150 percent capacity, so that is a big change. Venues are fuller, people can have large-scale weddings and private functions. The masks have not completely disappeared, but the capacity limits have.

Q: What's the vaccination rate in Bolingbrook, and how are we doing compared to other municipalities?

A: In Bolingbrook, about 33,000 individuals are fully vaccinated, so almost half, not quite half, of the population. For Illinois in general, we're a little over that 50 percent mark, so we have a little to go, Bolingbrook, to keep up with the rest of the state. Some exciting initiatives include EMS going door-to-door for anyone who requests getting that vaccination. It's just the right time to get vaccinated because as there's so much gathering and activities, we want to make sure every single person is protected and doesn't get ill.

Q: We know that the Pfizer vaccine is good for 12 years and older. Are other vaccines need approval for younger ages, and when will that go into effect?

A: We don't know the exact dates, but we know that Moderna has already submitted their information to get their approval to go down to 12 years. We think a decision might be made sometime this summer. We know that the trials are ongoing right now for both Pfizer and Moderna for 6 months to two years, two to five years, and five to 11 years. We hope we'll have more information in the fall for even lower ages. Nothing's set in stone, but we think more people will be eligible to get the vaccine in short order.

Related: Mask Rules: 4 Things To Know In Illinois' Phase 5

Q: How should people handle masks when their young kids aren't vaccinated?

A: There are places where masks are still required — transit, congregate and health care settings — so you can't get rid of your mask just yet. You have to think if you're around a lot of young people who are not eligible or have not been vaccinated, you really have to think to continue to wear masks just as a layer of protection, even for people who are vaccinated. In Illinois alone, we've had millions of people vaccinated. This is one of the most effective vaccines to ever be produced, but even at 95 percent effectiveness, even 5-10 percent of those who it's not effective in, you're still talking about 600,000-700,000 people who might still catch COVID or get sick. Even with this vaccine, there will still be fully vaccinated people who will get sick, who will get hospitalized and even worse. You have to assume that you don't know who that will be. Vaccines are the first step, but masking is another layer of protection, especially if you have kids around not vaccinated. You also have to think about what settings you put them into — we know that outdoor is much safer than indoor settings with a lot of people and poor ventilation. Thinking about your own risk tolerance and the risk of the kids might make you want to continue wearing that mask.

Q: Some people feel they've had COVID and therefore they don't need the vaccine. Is that actually true or not?

A: In general, you usually think of having the disease or getting the vaccine instead of having the disease, you get the vaccine. In this case, because of how dangerous this virus is, because there's such a range of illness — where some people have had no symptoms or mild to severe symptoms — and because the virus is new, it's hard to know if someone who had mild symptoms will have as much protection as someone who had a more symptomatic course. This layering effect, where you would get the vaccination and still wear your mask, gives you just that extra layer of protection so that if you didn't develop the full antibodies, with the vaccine, you have another chance to develop full protection. It's recommended to get the vaccine even if you had the illness.

Q: Regarding the added layer, will there be a booster shot coming up?

A: We're still looking at the crystal ball trying to figure out what the future holds. We don't have the answer to that yet; we are going to be following what the data shows. If all of a sudden, everyone who's been vaccinated is coming down with COVID infections, that could suggest that immunity is waning or that there's a new variant out there that doesn't respect the vaccine. That would suggest there's a need for intervention. Hopefully this vaccine will protect us against current variants and everything coming for years to come, but we don't know, so we're going to follow along and make plans to prepare.

Q: Will this vaccine become a requirement at any point in time, whether for specific professions or in general?

A: We've already seen schools, certain industries that are going to require it for the employees. Private companies can do as they see appropriate, so I think there will be some requirements coming down the pike, in addition to colleges and universities. We haven't mandated it at the state level, but I understand why a health care industry might require that to give every level of protection for a population they're trying to serve.

Q: What is this going to look like for a return to school in the fall? Knowing that the vaccine isn't for younger kids yet, what's the prediction?

A: This is one of the very challenging issues. There's no way everyone is going to be happy because people are on different parts of the spectrum and everywhere in between. All of these questions — masking, quarantining, social distancing — we're working right now to answer. We're not even two months out, so we want to share our plans with the public soon to get feedback. We're still going to have a lot of individual choice in the schools, but we will definitely start laying down some framework, so school districts can start making plans.

Q: What precautions should we take, vaccinated or unvaccinated, to keep ourselves safe from COVID-19 and beyond?

A: When you have no clue who's in the environment, it's potentially a riskier situation. Ideally, you'd still like to maintain distance if you can and if you can't, you might consider wearing a mask in that setting. You want to be carrying your hand sanitizer and cleaning your hands. Always remember that outdoor venues are the best. The circulation just naturally makes it harder to get a large enough inoculum of the virus to get infected. Stay outdoors, especially since it's summer, 'tis the season. Get that vitamin D.

Q: What communication outlets should the public follow to be most updated with the IDPH?

A: If you want trusted resources, go to www.coronavirus.illinois.gov and www.cdc.gov. Your healthcare system, your doctor, where you get your care, a lot of those health systems have robust websites that answer questions.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.