SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The rate at which COVID-19 is being spread in Illinois has taken another big step down.
The Illinois Department of Public Heath says only 28 counties in the state are now at elevated levels of COVID transmission, down from 59 in the previous week.
That’s according to their weekly update, which indicates all three Tri-Counties are now at “low” transmission levels, instead of medium or high.
“I am encouraged to see COVID-19 community levels continuing to decrease across Illinois,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, in a news release. “Rates of the XBB ‘Kraken’ variant, spreading throughout the East Coast, are slowly increasing in the Midwest, and we continue to monitor this new variant closely. However, we are fortunate at this time to see no increase in hospitalizations. IDPH is continuing to focus our efforts on preserving hospital capacity and protecting those Illinois residents most at risk for severe disease from COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.”
What may now be the most concerning number for state officials is hospitalizations. About 1,200 Illinoisans are hospitalized with the disease, with 151 of those in ICU’s. The total hospitalizations is down from the previous week.
The total number of COVID cases in the state since the pandemic began, according to statistics, has crossed the four million mark.
