As Chicago moves from ‘low’ to ‘medium’ COVID risk level, Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, shared her recommendations regarding indoor masking and dining at restaurants and bars.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two more Chicago-area counties have now joined the list of areas that are at a “medium community level” of COVID-19 as a new omicron subvariant continues to spread across the United States.
Both Grundy and LaSalle counties have joined eight other counties in the NBC 5 viewing area that are in that “medium range,” according to the latest metrics released Thursday afternoon.
In all, there are 23 Illinois counties now at that “medium” level, up from 14 a week ago.
The CDC defines a county as being at a “medium community level” of COVID if it is averaging more than 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents per week. A county can also reach that “medium” level if it is averaging 10 or more new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 residents per week, or if it has 10% or more of its hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.
DuPage County was one of the first areas in Illinois to rise to that “medium” level amid the latest surge in cases, but it was soon joined by McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane, Cook, Kendall and Will counties last week.
As things stand now, DuPage County is seeing more new COVID cases than any other county in the region, with 454.64 new cases per 100,000 residents in the last week.
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Kendall County is seeing 401.58 new cases per 100,000 residents, while Lake County is close behind at 398.4.
In fact, the only Illinois county in the NBC 5 viewing area that is not at a “medium” COVID level is Kankakee County, which is averaging 160 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents.
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Here are the latest updates from around the region.
Cook County: 337.87 (up from 259.31 last week)
DeKalb County 360.35 (up from 275.51)
DuPage County 454.64 (up from 365.69)
Grundy County 215.46
Kane County 308.41 (up from 248.62)
Kendall County 401.58 (up from 251.96)
Lake County 398.4 (up from 331.64)
LaSalle County 269.63
McHenry County 320.69 (up from 254.41)
Will County 305.76 (up from 239.6)
Health officials recommend that residents wear masks indoors in counties that are at a “medium community level” of COVID. If a county reaches a “high” level, then mask mandates could potentially return on local levels, with health officials also recommending that those with compromised immune systems take additional steps to protect themselves from infection.
Now that those counties are at a “medium” level, they could bump up to a “high” level of COVID if they exceed 10 new COVID hospital admissions per 100,000 residents, or if they exceed a 10% COVID patient occupancy rate in their hospitals.
No Illinois counties are currently at that “high” level, according to the CDC.
