Cook County could restore a number of COVID-19 restrictions aimed at reducing growing cases as the county begins to see a third wave of coronaviruses, health officials said on Saturday.
Both the city of Chicago and Cook County have recently seen more than 600 new cases a day, according to Dr. Rachel Rubin, a senior medical officer and co-head of Cook County’s Department of Public Health.
A few weeks ago, Rubin said, about 250 cases were reported each day. On Saturday, Illinois recorded 2,839 new cases and 13 deaths as the positivity rate rose from 4.1 to 4.3%.
A total of 145,315 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in a recent 24-hour period, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. A total of 6188,607 doses were administered statewide.
Chicago health officials have expressed concern about a “quantum leap” in coronavirus cases, saying that failing to reduce those gains could lead to the imposition of restrictions after they were weakened earlier this year.
According to IDPH data, the city of Chicago saw a seven-day increase in positivity from 3.2% on March 19 to 4.5% since March 28, a rapid increase that is alarming some public health experts.
Although no decisions have been made on restoring restrictions in Cook County, officials say the change could take place next week, and the biggest focus can be on indoor activities.
“The data showed that it’s not necessarily outdoor activities, but indoor, so these are the kinds of things we need to evaluate and analyze,” Rubin said.
As is the case in Chicago, Rubin said cases are on the rise in Cook County’s younger population, especially those in their 20s and 30s, as this age group is largely unvaccinated.
Even with the growing availability of the coronavirus vaccine, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, are urging residents, especially younger ones, to continue to adhere to the protocols. social distancing and wearing masks in public, saying the end of the pandemic could be seen if residents continue to remain vigilant.
“The actions you are taking now will have an impact on what we can all do in the future,” Lightfoot said earlier this week. “We don’t want to be forced to step back or, worse, close these things because we have not done what is necessary now to remain diligent. COVID-19 is still here, still killing people in our city every day. So we must remain diligent. “