Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered a COVID-19 update for Illinois Tuesday morning.
While positivity rates have largely flatlined throughout the state of Illinois, albeit at higher numbers than had been experienced during the early part of the summer, hospitalizations continue to decline, and ICU availability continues to increase, throughout the state.
According to the latest metrics from the Illinois Department of Public Health, there are currently 1,419 patients hospitalized because of COVID in the state. That is the lowest number the state has recorded since early August, when a surge in cases caused by the delta COVID variant was in full swing.
Of those patients, 327 are currently in intensive care unit beds, reflecting a steady decline in those metrics. More than 550 patients were in ICU beds during the height of the delta-driven surge, and the current number of patients is the lowest the state has seen since mid-August.
Those improvements in hospitalizations and ICU admissions are both being reflected in region-by-region data. In Region 5, located in southern Illinois and comprised of 20 of the state’s 102 total counties, ICU bed availability had basically zeroed out early in the fall, but it has rebounded tremendously, with 16% of the region’s ICU beds currently available.
Region 4, located near St. Louis, has seen an even more dramatic increase in ICU bed availability, going from one of the hardest-hit areas of the state to one of the best, rising to a 29% availability, the highest of any region in the state.
While positivity rates on tests have not reached the lows that they hit during mid-to-late June, reaching below the 1% threshold, they are still on an extremely slow downward trend, settling around the 2% mark, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.
Local
On a regional basis, 10 of the 11 healthcare regions in the state are still seeing either slow decreases in that metric, or a flattening of the downward trends. Only Region 1, located in northwestern Illinois, has seen a measurable increase in positivity rate over the last week.
Here are the region-by-region metrics in each of Illinois’ 11 health care regions.
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Region 1 (Northwest Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 3.6% (increasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 14% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 2 (West-Central Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 3.2% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 15% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 5/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 3 (West Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 2.9% (stable)
ICU Bed Availability – 17% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 4 (Southwest Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 3.2% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 29% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 5 (South Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 3.4% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 16% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 6 (East-Central Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 3.7% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 22% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 7 (Will, Kankakee counties):
Positivity Rate – 3.6% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 22% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 8 (Kane, DuPage counties):
Positivity Rate – 2.7% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 25% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 9 (McHenry, Lake counties):
Positivity Rate – 2.3% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 20% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 10 (Suburban Cook County):
Positivity Rate – 1.8% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 17% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days decreasing or stable
Region 11 (Chicago):
Positivity Rate – 2% (stable)
ICU Bed Availability – 17% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable
