A medical technician labels samples from different testing centers inside a lab for processing Covid-19 RT-PCR tests in Marikina City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. The Philippines has one of Asias lowest vaccination rates, with only about half of its population receiving two shots, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Its limited and costly testing apparatus, fragmented tracing program and fragile health system have made it hard to stamp out outbreaks despite several economically devastating lockdowns. Photographer: Veejay Villafranca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
COVID hospitalizations are up across parts of the United States ahead of Thanksgiving and parts of the Chicago area are also seeing increases as families gather for the holiday.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations related to COVID have gone up by 16.8% in recent weeks in a four-county area that includes McHenry, Lake, DuPage and Cook Counties.
Data shows that there were a total of 383 new hospital admissions related to the virus during that time.
Still, the number of admissions per 100,000 residents stands at 5.4, which the CDC classifies as “low.”
The only county in the Chicago area currently at a “medium” level of COVID hospital admissions is Kankakee County, with 11 new admissions per 100,000 residents. Numbers are going down there however, with a 17% decrease in new admissions over the last week.
In LaSalle County, hospitalizations related to COVID rose by 12.5%, but numbers are still low at 4.9 new admissions per 100,000 residents.
Some areas are seeing reductions in hospitalizations, especially in a three-county area comprised of Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties. There, hospitalizations dropped by 31.8%, falling to 3.9 admissions per 100,000 residents.
Will and Grundy counties also saw reductions of nearly 16%, with 2.2 admissions per 100,000 residents, according to official data.
While the state of Illinois is seeing mixed results with COVID hospitalizations, numbers are trending upward across the U.S. Nationally, emergency department admissions for COVID have increased by 7.1% in recent weeks, with hospital admissions overall up 8.6% during that time.
Residents are being urged to take precautions ahead of holiday gatherings, wearing masks when necessary and testing for COVID if they feel ill.
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