23 Illinois counties now at “medium” COVID-19 community level

Just under one-quarter of Illinois counties are now at a “medium” community level of COVID-19, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Department of Public Health Acting Director Amaal Tokars said Friday that people at risk of severe health outcomes in the 23 counties should take precautions, like wearing a mask in indoor public places.

“While case counts are rising, we would urge the public not to be alarmed, but to be aware of this trend and to take action by making sure they are up-to-date with vaccinations and booster shots,” she said.

Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Friday they are “not taking lightly” the current rise in COVID-19 cases.

“Thankfully, many fewer Chicagoans are being hospitalized right now with COVID-19 than in prior waves, mostly thanks to vaccines and boosters,” she said. “We want to keep it that way and see our case numbers trend back down, so we ask everyone to do their part.”

IDPH reported 40,026 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 last week, a 30.7 percent jump from the prior week. Forty-five more Illinoisans died.

The new cases bring the state total to 3,209,341 cases. There have been 33,705 deaths.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 5,718, up 1,342 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is six, down one from the prior week.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 44.9, up 10.6 from the prior week.

As of Thursday, 909 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, up 29 from Wednesday and up 101 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 87 were in intensive care units, up two from Wednesday and up 21 from the prior week. Twenty-two percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, down 1 percentage point from the prior week.

There were 25 patients on ventilators, up four from Wednesday and up one from the prior week.

About 81.7 percent of eligible Illinoisans ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 73.4 percent are fully vaccinated.

Illinois vaccinators have administered 22,099,637 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,426,196 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 11,586.

About 60.3 percent of total doses administered went to white Illinoisans, while 15.4 went to Latinx residents, 11.2 percent to Black residents and 7.2 to Asian residents. About 3.1 percent went to those identified as “other races” while 2.2 percent are “unknown.”