Chicago-area counties near ‘high community levels’ of COVID as cases and hospitalizations surge – NBC Chicago
Every Illinois county within the NBC 5 viewing area is now at a “medium community level” of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, with several potentially jumping to the “high” level as early as next week.
According to the latest data released Thursday by the CDC, a total of eight counties in Illinois are now at this “high community level” of COVID-19. That includes a group of counties along the Wisconsin border, with Boone, Stephenson and Winnebago counties all jumping into that category this week.
Lee County, which is adjacent to DeKalb County, also falls into this “high” category, as do Peoria and Tazewell counties. Ford and Champaign counties are also in the high community classification, officials said.
According to the CDC, a county is considered “high community level” of COVID-19 if it records more than 200 new weekly COVID cases per 100,000 residents and if it records either 10 or more new COVID admissions per 100,000 residents per week, or if 10% or more hospital beds are occupied by COVID patients.
According to these metrics, several counties within NBC 5’s view are rapidly approaching “high community level,” including Cook County. There, 367.34 new cases per 100,000 people and 9.8 new COVID admissions per 100,000 people per week are reported weekly.
This hospitalization cluster (a group of counties that the CDC categorizes based on health care patterns and proximity) also includes DuPage, Lake, and McHenry counties.
Kankakee County, which moved into the “medium” range just this week as it reported 222.1 new weekly cases per 100,000 people, could soon follow and jump into the “high” range as its hospitalizations are now up to 8.8 per week is 100,000 inhabitants.
CDC officials say DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties are seeing 8.1 new admissions per 100,000 residents, meaning those three counties could also be in the “high community level” range by next week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends travelers get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible before departure.
In the event that a county reaches a “high community level” of COVID, residents are advised to wear masks indoors regardless of COVID immunization status.
Those residents who are immunocompromised or live in a household with these residents are urged to avoid “non-essential indoor activities” and to consult with their doctors about any additional steps that may need to be taken.
While city and county health officials have not said definitively that a move to the “high community level” could trigger a new mask mandate, some have suggested that such a strategy could be implemented in the event of a strain on medical facilities.
Here are the most recent data points from each Illinois county in view of NBC 5:
Cook County: 367.34 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 337.87)
DeKalb County: 406.11 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 360.35)
DuPage County: 439.91 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 454.64)
Grundy County: 217.42 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 215.46)
Kane County: 322.12 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 308.41)
Kankakee County: 222.1 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (out of 160)
Kendall County: 446.55 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 401.58)
Lake County: 424.53 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 398.4)
LaSalle County: 315.64 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 269.63)
McHenry County: 359.03 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 320.69)
Will County: 366.71 new weekly cases per 100,000 population (up from 305.76)
dr Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, warned Wednesday that the US will face a challenging fall and winter without additional congressional funding for testing and treatment.
Hospital data:
CDC region that includes DeKalb, Kane, and Kendall counties
New weekly COVID admissions per 100,000 population: 8.1
Percentage of staffed beds used by COVID patients: 2.7%
CDC region that includes Cook, DuPage, Lake and McHenry counties
New weekly COVID admissions per 100,000 population: 9.8
Percentage of staffed beds used by COVID patients: 3%
CDC region that includes Grundy and Will counties
New weekly COVID admissions per 100,000 population: 7.8
Percentage of staffed beds used by COVID patients: 3.5%
CDC region that includes Kankakee County
New weekly COVID admissions per 100,000 population: 8.8
Percentage of staffed beds used by COVID patients: 2.9%
CDC region that includes LaSalle County
New weekly COVID admissions per 100,000 population: 7.1
Percentage of staffed beds used by COVID patients: 2.8%
