IDPH: COVID-19 treatments averted 8,600 hospitalizations in Illinois

COVID-19 therapeutic treatments have helped avert 8,600 hospitalizations in Illinois in the past four months, the Department of Public Health said Friday.

“The data from Illinois that IDPH released today show just how effective these treatments can be at protecting people who contract COVID-19 from being hospitalized and severe outcomes,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra.

There are over 1,200 treatment locations in Illinois, with the agency noting nearly 97 percent of Illinoisans are within 10 miles of a location.

Friday’s announcement comes as the state sees a notable decline in its COVID-19 trends.

There were 19,933 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported last week, a 23.7 percent decrease from the prior week. There were 64 deaths reported last week.

The new cases bring the state’s total to 3,716,318. There have been 34,811 deaths.

The seven-day average for new cases on Friday was 2,848, down 884 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is nine, down one from the prior week.

The seven-day rolling average case rate per 100,000 people is 22.3, down 7 from the prior week.

As of Thursday, 1,314 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down eight from Wednesday and down 51 from the prior week.

Twenty-eight 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 counties are at a “medium” risk level.

Cook County continues to be at a “medium” level, with a week-to-week decline in both cases and hospitalizations. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady called for residents to receive the updated COVID-19 booster dose, which started to roll out last week across the state.

“This is a reminder of how important vaccines are and why getting the updated vaccine now is so important to protect yourself against severe illness and hospitalization ahead of the fall and winter,” she said.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, nearly 99 percent of COVID-19 cases in the Midwest between Sep. 3 and Sept. 10 were BA.4, BA.4.6 and BA.5 omicron variants. The region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

About 81.5 percent of Illinoisans have received at least one dose of COVID-19, while 73.8 percent are fully vaccinated. There have been 4,754,536 booster doses administered, with the seven-day average for all doses administered at 5,825.