Chicago-Area Officials Say U.S. Could be Seeing Fifth Wave of COVID as Cases Increase – NBC Chicago & More News Here

As COVID-19 instances proceed to rise across the United States, some specialists are saying that the nation might be getting into a fifth wave of the virus as summer season approaches.

In the final week alone, COVID instances within the state of Illinois have gone up by greater than 40%, whereas hospitalizations have additionally begun a gradual improve, in line with knowledge from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“If you look at our rates, (and) if you look, for example, at the CDC maps, we are right up there with the east coast,” Dr. Sharon Welbel of Cook County Health says.

The East Coast has been seeing speedy will increase in COVID instances in current weeks, largely fueled by a brand new subvariant of omicron. Numerous counties at the moment are thought-about to be at a “high community level” of the virus, with officers elevating alerts that residents might have to take severe precautions to keep away from turning into sick.

“The virus mutates very readily, and it mutates frequently,” Dr. Robert Citronberg of Advocate Aurora Health says. “And that’s why we have so many variants.”

While no Illinois counties are on the “high community level” of COVID, there are 14 which are presently at a “medium community level” of the virus. That consists of Cook County, as properly as seven different Chicago-area counties, in line with CDC knowledge.

Both Chicago and Cook County have moved from “low” to “medium” danger for COVID-19, the Chicago Department of Public Health introduced Friday, as instances proceed to rise throughout the world. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez has the story.

Statewide, Illinois is now averaging 5,154 new instances of the virus per day, a 41.6% improve over every week in the past and a rise of greater than 180% within the final month, in line with IDPH knowledge.

Hospitalizations have elevated by simply over 5% within the final week, with 777 Illinois sufferers who’ve examined optimistic for COVID.

Those hospitalization developments, together with the truth that greater than 73% of eligible state residents are absolutely vaccinated towards COVID, are giving officers some hope {that a} huge surge, and potential lockdowns, can be prevented.

Even nonetheless, there’s nonetheless concern that numbers will proceed to pattern upward within the weeks to come back.

“The more people that get vaccinated, the less likely it is to have any shutdowns,” Citronberg stated. “That being said, I do not anticipate any significant shutdowns in our area.”

While Chicago well being officers are encouraging residents to put on masks in indoor locations, they aren’t issuing any new mandates to that impact. If the county goes right into a “high community level” of the virus, then such mandates might conceivably return to line up with CDC tips.

Whether such a transfer would happen stays unknown, nonetheless.

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