IDPH: COVID-19 metrics continued to decline last week

Illinois’ COVID-19 metrics continued their positive trend last week, according to Department of Public Health data.

There were 25,084 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported last week by IDPH, a 5.2 percent decrease from the prior week. There were 56 deaths reported last week.

The new cases bring the state’s total to 3,645,961. There have been 34,595 deaths.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 3,583, down 197 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is eight, down 10 from the prior week.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 28.1, down 1.6 from the prior week.

As of Thursday, 1,434 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down three from Wednesday and down 37 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 152 were in intensive care units, down eight from Wednesday and down 29 from the prior week. Twenty percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, up 1 percentage point from the prior week.

There were 56 patients on ventilators, the same as Wednesday and down 11 from the prior week.

Forty-two 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. Thirty-nine counties are at a “medium” risk level.

Cook County continues to be at a “medium” level of community.

“The data are moving in a good direction, but COVID-19 is still with us,” Chicago Department of Public Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Seo said in a statement. “Everyone, including students as school starts, should get vaccinated and boosted if they haven’t already. And we continue to encourage masking in indoor public settings.”

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, more than 99 percent of COVID-19 cases in the Midwest between Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 were BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants. The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Illinois vaccinators have administered 23,166,764 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,733,939 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 8,023.

About 60.7 percent of total doses administered went to white Illinoisans, while 15.2 went to Latinx residents, 11.3 percent to Black residents and 7.2 to Asian residents. About 3 percent went to those identified as “other races” while 2.1 percent are “unknown.”