COVID-19 cases have significantly risen across Illinois within the past week, with 74 counties now at an elevated community level of the virus. Twenty-nine of the 74 counties are now at a "high" community level of COVID-19, up from 12 last week, according to CDC data.
All counties in the Chicago metropolitan area are now at a "medium" COVID-19 community level, where masks are recommended for those who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease. Overall, 45 Illinois counties are at that same level.
“These elevated COVID-19 community levels, along with rising flu levels, are leading to a surge of respiratory infections and increased hospitalizations. I recommend all Illinoisans - and especially those most vulnerable including young children and individuals over 65 - take all preventative steps to protect themselves, their families and friends," Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement.
The following 29 counties were listed as having a "high" COVID-19 community level over the past seven days by the CDC:
- Adams County
- Boone County
- Brown County
- Champaign County
- Christian County
- Clark County
- Cumberland County
- Edgar County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Johnson County
- Knox County
- Lee County
- Logan County
- Macoupin County
- Marshall County
- Mason County
- Massac County
- Menard County
- Montgomery County
- Morgan County
- Ogle County
- Peoria County
- Pike County
- Sangamon County
- Tazewell County
- Vermilion County
- Williamson County
- Winnebago County
The following 45 counties are now at a "medium" COVID-19 community level:
- Bond County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Clay County
- Coles County
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- DeWitt County
- Douglas County
- DuPage County
- Fayette County
- Ford County
- Gallatin County
- Greene County
- Grundy County
- Henry County
- Iroquois County
- Jackson County
- Jersey County
- Jo Daviess County
- Kane County
- Kendall County
- Lake County
- Lawrence County
- Macon County
- Madison County
- McDonough County
- McHenry County
- McLean County
- Perry County
- Piatt County
- Pope County
- Randolph County
- Richland County
- Saline County
- Schuyler County
- Scott County
- Shelby County
- Stark County
- Stephenson County
- Wabash County
- Warren County
- White County
- Will County
- Woodford County
At medium status, anyone at high risk of getting seriously ill should wear a high-quality mask or respirator, such as an N95, when in public indoors. Additionally, if you have contact with someone else at high risk, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, according to the CDC.
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At a high community level, the CDC recommends everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public settings.
Illinois health officials reported a total of 21,404 new and confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the past seven days, including 56 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
As of Thursday evening, 1,582 people in Illinois were reported to be hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 188 patients were in the ICU and 69 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 168 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.
Additionally, a total of 25,491,566 vaccine doses have been administered in Illinois, with a seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily at 16,008 doses.
More than 78 percent of Illinois' population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, with more than 70 percent completing their primary series of vaccinations. Over 16 percent of eligible Illinoisans have received a bivalent booster dose.
