EENCOURAGE OTHERS TO GET VACCINATED
- Editor’s note: This will likely be the last daily COVID-19 update on the Kane County Connects blog. The KCC blog and e-newsletters are taking a two-week hiatus for a thoughtful redesign, returning in the third week of June. Since the pandemic began, KCC has strived to provide timely and useful COVID-19 information to the Kane County community. For the latest local information, visit the Kane County Health Department websiteor click on some of the links to the CDC and IDPH pages at the end of this article.
15:15 FRIDAY
OVERVIEW: Hospitalizations Rise as Americans Take to the Streets; Wisconsin Falls on the Rise; The White House has a new model for distributing Paxlovid
Just as many Illinois residents are traveling “north” for Memorial Day weekend, Wisconsin is reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases. Wisconsin’s DHS says 2,032 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours and 2,182 cases the day before, revising the figure reported Wednesday.
Americans are making the move in large numbers despite a steady rise in coronavirus cases. For the past week, an average of 110,000 daily coronavirus cases have been reported in the United States as of Thursday, up 26% from two weeks ago, according to a New York Times Database. Hospital admissions have risen 29% to about 26,100 a day over the past two weeks, and new deaths have averaged less than 400 a day over the past two weeks.
This was announced by White House officials on Thursday that they were introducing new models for distribution of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 drug, to get more people on the treatment and even keep coronavirus death rates relatively low as cases increase. (The New York Times)
KANE COUNTY: 211 new cases, 0 deaths on Friday
Kane County today recorded 211 new COVID-19 cases and no other deaths.
The county remains at the community median infection level.
The county has recorded 134,779 positive cases and 1,132 deaths since the pandemic began.
Kane County’s daily fall rate dropped to 37.7 per 100,000 residents.
About 30% of Kane County’s ICU beds are available. The county records an average of four COVID-19 hospitalizations per day.
ILLINOIS STATE: 36,843 new cases, 45 deaths this week; 15 high-risk countries
The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 36,843 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease in Illinois, including 45 deaths since May 20, 2022.
According to CDC, 15 counties of Illinois are now evaluated High community level for COVID-19, an area that includes Chicago, Cook County and surrounding counties in northeastern Illinois, and counties around Peoria. Another 30 counties in Illinois are now classified at the intermediate community level, the CDC reports.
As of last night, 1,136 people in Illinois are reported to have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Of these, 123 patients were in intensive care and 35 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilation. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 289 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinois residents.
The counties listed at High Community Level are Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Will, Grundy, Boone, Lee and Winnebago in Northern Illinois and Fulton, Knox, Henderson, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell in Central Illinois.
“With 45 counties in Illinois now ranked at intermediate or high community level, we should all be confident that we are up to date with immunizations and booster shots,” said Amaal Tokars, acting director of IDPH.
“We should all strongly consider dressing up when entering indoor public spaces and avoiding crowded indoor spaces whenever possible at that time – particularly where there is a risk of a serious outcome.” If you test positive, contact a doctor right away to discuss which treatment is right for you. The treatments are much more effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths when taken early in the disease course.”
The CDC recommends the following actions for people in areas that are rated with High community level for COVID-19 transmission:
- Wear a well-fitting mask in public, regardless of immunization status (including in K-12 schools and other indoor community facilities).
- If you are immunocompromised or high risk in case of serious illness:
- Enter Mask or respirator this gives you more protection.
- Consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.
- Talk to your doctor about whether you need to take other precautions.
- Do you have a plan for rapid testing (e.g. home testing or access to testing) if needed
- IF THE TEST POSITIVE: Talk to your doctor about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals and monoclonal antibodies
- If you have domestic or social contact with someone high risk in case of serious illness:
- Consider self-testing to detect infection prior to contact.
- Consider wearing a mask when you are indoors with them.
- Stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
- If possible, provide improved ventilation in all indoor areas.
- Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including testing, if you are exposed to or have symptoms of COVID-19.
In the Medium community level, people who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of serious consequences) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Additionally, they should ensure they keep up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their 2nd booster if eligible.
IDPH has helped pharmacies and healthcare providers increase their inventory of various FDA-approved treatments. There is over 1,200 treatment places in Illinois – including all major retail pharmacies. More than 96.7% of the state’s population is within 10 miles of any of these locations.
A total of 22,310,797 vaccines were administered in Illinois. The 7-day rolling average of the vaccines administered daily is 15,759 doses. Since May 20, 110,314 doses have been administered in Illinois.
Of the total Illinois population, more than 76% have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, more than 69% of the total Illinois population are fully vaccinated, and more than 52% of the vaccinated population are receiving a first booster shot from the , according to data Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data shows that the risk of hospitalization and serious consequences from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
All information is provisional and subject to change. Visit for more information and COVID-19 data https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.
Vaccinations are key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination center near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
The federal government has launched a new website providing an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatments, vaccines and testing resources for all regions of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.
