Illinois seeing rise in COVID-19 cases, areas of ‘high’ community levels

Illinois’ COVID-19 metrics rose over the past week, according to data from the Department of Public Health, as new subvariants become more dominant.

The agency reported 33,066 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 last week, a 20 percent increase from the prior week. Fifty-nine more Illinoisans died.

The new cases bring the state’s total to 3,496,014. There have been 34,257 deaths.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 4,724, up 789 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is eight, up one from the prior week.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 37.1, up 6.2 from the prior week.

As of Thursday, 1,424 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, up 48 from Wednesday and up 115 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 152 were in intensive care units, up 20 from Wednesday and up three from the prior week. Twenty percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, down 3 percentage points from the prior week.

There were 42 patients on ventilators, up six from Wednesday and down five from the prior week.

Fifty counties are now at a “high” community level of COVID-19, the level at which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people mask indoors in public spaces. Forty-four counties are at a “medium” risk level.

Cook County has returned to a “high” community level, with local officials calling on residents to take the necessary precautions.

“(COVID-19) is adaptable and continues to mutate,” said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady. “We have to be just as relentless and unwavering in defending ourselves and our communities against it.”

Roughly 83 percent of COVID-19 cases in the Midwest as of July 9 were of the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants, according to CDC data. The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Illinois vaccinators have administered 22,804,845 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,644,326 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 11,154.

About 60.6 percent of total doses administered went to white Illinoisans, while 15.2 went to Latinx residents, 11.2 percent to Black residents and 7.2 to Asian residents. About 3 percent went to those identified as “other races” while 2.2 percent are “unknown.”