The state of Illinois saw increases in both COVID cases and hospitalizations in the days after the Thanksgiving holiday, but those numbers have flattened considerably in recent days.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state is currently averaging 3,232 cases of the virus per day. As of Wednesday, Illinois has reported 1,667 individuals that are hospitalized due to COVID-19 symptoms.
While both of those numbers are higher than they were in early November, they represent a flattening in metrics in recent days.
On Nov. 28, just days after Thanksgiving, Illinois was averaging 1,876 COVID cases per day. Eight days later on Dec. 6, the state had seen that number increase by nearly 85% to 3,466 cases per day, according to IDPH data.
That number has remained mostly steady since then, and has even decreased slightly, officials say.
Hospitalizations have shown a similar trajectory. On Nov. 20, the state had reported 1,029 patients that were hospitalized because of the virus. By Dec. 6, two weeks later, that number had climbed by nearly 60% to 1,639.
In the last week, the state has seen a very slight increase in patients, with the number ticking upward by 1.7%.
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While Illinois’ cases remain in a flattening trend, nationwide cases of the virus are beginning to tick upward quickly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 450,000 cases of COVID reported in the last seven days.
Hospitalizations have gone up much more slowly nationwide, rising by 3.8% in the last week, according to officials.
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Still, some officials have expressed concerns about continued growth in cases because of holiday gatherings as Christmas approaches.
Residents in one-quarter of Illinois’ counties are currently being urged to wear masks because of high transmission levels of COVID, including Boone and Champaign counties.
In the Chicago area, most counties are in the “medium transmission” range, including Cook, Lake and Will counties. LaSalle and Kankakee counties remain in the “low transmission” range.
