In which areas is the CDC recommending people wear masks indoors? The agency points to its COVID-19 data tracker showing levels of community transmission for each county in the U.S.
Several counties in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana fall into the “substantial” or “high” transmission categories that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established to help determine whether it would recommend fully vaccinated Americans to wear masks in indoor spaces.
Under the parameters released by the CDC on Tuesday, at least eight counties in the NBC 5 viewing area would fall into one of the two categories. While seven of those counties are currently in the “substantial” transmission group, one, Newton County in Indiana, is considered to be a COVID hotspot, as the county is reporting massive surges in both positivity rates and in coronavirus cases.
According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people should resume wearing masks in indoor settings in areas of the country that are reporting “substantial” or “high” transmission of COVID-19.
The agency uses a pair of measures in calculating the level of community transmission: the number of new cases per 100,000 residents, and the percentage of positive COVID tests within a seven-day period.
Counties reporting 50-to-100 new cases of COVID per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period, or having a positivity rate between 8% and 10%, are considered to be in the “substantial transmission” tier, while those reporting 100 new cases or more per 100,000 residents, or with a positivity rate over 10%, are considered “high-transmission.”
The CDC is now recommending that all residents, including fully vaccinated residents, wear masks while indoors in those areas, especially when social-distancing is not possible.
Here are the counties in the NBC 5 viewing area that currently fall in one of those two categories (you can find the most up-to-date information on the CDC website):
Local
McHenry County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 51.99
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Positivity Rate: 4.96%
DeKalb County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 55.29
Positivity Rate: 3.81%
DuPage County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 55.37
Positivity Rate: 3.91%
LaSalle County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 60.73
Positivity Rate: 2.63%
Grundy County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 60.72
Positivity Rate: 5.12%
Will County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 65
Positivity Rate: 3.78%
Newton County (High)
Cases per 100K: 121.57
Positivity Rate: 16.13%
Jasper County (Substantial)
Cases per 100K: 65.55
Positivity Rate: 11.54%
Here are the counties in the NBC 5 viewing area that are in the “moderate transmission” category:
Lake County (IL)
Cases per 100K: 40.63
Positivity Rate: 2.6%
Kane County
Cases per 100K: 42.26
Positivity Rate: 3.99%
Cook County
Cases per 100K: 47.55
Positivity Rate: 2.6%
Kendall County
Cases per 100K: 46.52
Positivity Rate: 3.92%
Kankakee County
Cases per 100K: 38.23
Positivity Rate: 1.84%
Lake County (IN)
Cases per 100K: 33.99
Positivity Rate: 4.48%
Porter County
Cases per 100K: 34.63
Positivity Rate: 7.14%
LaPorte County
Cases per 100K: 48.23
Positivity Rate: 6.75%
