(Patty Wetli / WTTW Information)
All residents of Prepare dinner County — together with these in Chicago — now face a “excessive” threat of contracting COVID-19 and may put on a masks indoors, in keeping with the most recent information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Meaning there’s “excessive neighborhood unfold and excessive potential for healthcare system pressure,” federal officers warned. Residents ought to put on a masks indoors, restrict gatherings to a small variety of folks and take into account avoiding “higher-risk actions comparable to crowded indoor gatherings,” in keeping with the steering from federal officers.
Prepare dinner County now has 10.9 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents throughout a seven-day interval, assembly the edge set by federal well being officers to warn residents that the danger of contracting COVID-19 has risen from “medium” to “excessive.” (Town of Chicago has 7.0 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 throughout a seven-day interval, in keeping with Chicago Department of Public Health data.)
The county is considered one of 15 statewide to maneuver to excessive neighborhood unfold of COVID-19, in keeping with the Illinois Division of Public Well being. DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Boone, Lee, Winnebago, Fulton, Knox, Henderson, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties are additionally now rated at excessive neighborhood unfold for COVID-19, in keeping with federal officers.
Prepare dinner County moved from a low COVID-19 threat to a medium threat of COVID-19 on Might 5.
Dr. Allison Arwady, the commissioner of the Chicago Division of Public Well being, stated Thursday morning Chicago officers will reimpose an indoor masks mandate provided that and when the variety of COVID-19 sufferers threatens the power of Chicago’s hospitals to perform.
“Extreme outcomes in Chicago stay comparatively uncommon and the burden of COVID-19 on our native hospitals stays low,” in keeping with a press release from the Chicago Division of Public Well being.
“Town of Chicago continues to watch this carefully. We take it very critically. If COVID threatens our native hospitals and well being care services’ capability, we are going to take additional motion like citywide indoor masks mandates or much more stringent if that’s required,” Arwady stated Thursday. “However we don’t want it but and we don’t need to get there.”
Roughly twice as many Chicagoans would have to be hospitalized earlier than the town would take into account reimposing the masks mandate, in keeping with Chicago well being officers.
These at excessive threat for extreme sickness from a COVID-19 an infection embrace these older than 50, these with underlying medical situations and the immunocompromised, well being officers stated.
Whereas the variety of confirmed instances of COVID-19 have been rising in Chicago since March 8 — roughly per week after metropolis and state officers lifted the masks mandate and vaccine requirement for some companies — the variety of folks in Chicago hospitals with COVID-19 stay close to all-time lows.
The quantity of people that have died from COVID-19 has by no means been decrease, in keeping with information from the Chicago Division of Public Well being. Since Might 1, 11 folks have died from the virus, in keeping with metropolis information by means of Wednesday.
That’s because of the efficacy of the vaccines, Arwady stated.
Federal well being officers take into account the danger of contracting COVID-19 “excessive” in a county the place the hospitals and well being system had been starting to be strained by the variety of these ailing with the virus, in keeping with pointers which have been in place since Feb. 28.
Based on the CDC, 3.5% of staffed hospital beds in Prepare dinner County are in use by COVID-19 sufferers on common in the course of the previous seven days. (In Chicago, 4% of staffed hospital beds are in use by COVID-19 sufferers, in keeping with CDPH information.) If 10% of staffed hospital beds in Prepare dinner County are in use by COVID-19 sufferers on common in the course of the previous seven days, the danger stage would rise to “excessive,” in keeping with the CDC.
That pressure is measured by the variety of new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents throughout a seven-day interval and the % of staffed hospital beds in use by COVID-19 sufferers on common in the course of the previous seven days.
Arwady urged residents to take extra precautions whereas neighborhood unfold is excessive, together with sporting face coverings indoors, avoiding crowded indoor settings, limiting gathering sizes and getting updated on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, which at the moment are beneficial for all people ages 5 and up 5 months after the final jab.
Kristen Thometz contributed.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
https://information.wttw.com/2022/05/26/covid-19-poses-high-risk-across-chicago-cook-county-federal-health-officials
