43 Illinois counties at high COVID-19 community level as respiratory viruses surge
The number of Illinois counties at elevated COVID-19 community levels is up again.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a jump to 86 such counties in its weekly report released Friday. That’s up from 74 counties reported the previous week on Dec. 9.
Illinois added 23,334 new COVID-19 cases in the last week alone, and the surge is coinciding with rising flu levels.
“As we prepare for holiday gatherings with our loved ones, I want to remind Illinoisians that these elevated COVID-19 community levels, along with rising flu levels, are leading to a surge of respiratory infections, increased hospitalizations and limited hospital beds,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement.
“I strongly recommend all Illinoisians take preventative steps to protect themselves and their family and friends, especially those most vulnerable including young children and individuals over 65,” Vohra continued.
Among the things Illinoisans can do to make sure holiday gatherings with friends and family are safe are:
Getting up to date with your COVID-19 bivalent booster shot, which is now authorized for children 6 months old and up.
Getting your flu shot.
Regularly testing for COVID-19, especially if you’re visiting someone at risk for severe disease.
Plan ahead and add enhanced ventilation at your holiday gathering.
Practicing good hand hygiene and staying home when you’re sick.
Wearing a high quality mask when indoors in public places.
Here’s what else to know about where Illinois and St. Clair County stand with COVID-19.
COVID-19 in St. Clair County and across Illinois
In the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday, 43 Illinois counties were rated as having a high community level for COVID-19. That’s up from 29 a week prior.
A total of 43 Illinois counties are experiencing medium COVID-19 community levels, compared to 45 the previous week.
The CDC defines a county’s community level as either high, medium or low and uses them to shape public health guidance. The levels are based on new hospital admissions per 100,000 people, average percent of staffed, inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients and new cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days.
The federal agency advises people in high areas to wear a mask indoors and on public transportation, and people at a higher risk of severe illness should consider precautions in medium level areas.
As of Dec. 15, only about 14%, or 397, of intensive care unit beds were open in hospitals across Illinois, according to IDPH data.
In the CDC’s latest report released Thursday, St. Clair County moved back to a medium COVID-19 community level, up from low the previous week.
The county’s weekly case rate increased to 170.98 per 100,000 people, while the number of new hospitalizations for COVID-19 also rose to 11.5 per 100,000 people.
Nearly 6% of the county’s staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Only 4.3% of St. Clair County’s ICU beds are available as of Dec. 16, according to IDPH data. Test positivity in St. Clair County is 7.11% as of Dec. 16, according to the CDC.
Find more about testing and vaccine information online.
Note: Some CDC data, such as test positivity rates, the number of tests performed and total case rate, update on different days. IDPH data and CDC data may not update at the same time, so metrics may vary across agencies.
This story was originally published December 18, 2022 at 5:30 AM.