Multiple Illinois regions are nearing thresholds for new coronavirus mitigation strategies, as areas in both the southwestern part of the state and in the northeastern corner of the state could see those rules put into place.
On Sunday, Illinois’ Region 4 reported a positivity rate of over 8% for the third consecutive day, potentially meaning that restrictions could go back into effect for a region that has already seen bars and restaurants shut down for indoor service for a period of time during the pandemic.
Elsewhere, Region 9, comprised of McHenry and Lake counties, saw its positivity rate increase to 7.9% on Sunday, putting it just shy of the threshold that would trigger new coronavirus restrictions.
Here are the latest numbers for the regions in Illinois currently under mitigation rules:
Region 1 –
This region in northwest Illinois has been a coronavirus hotspot for several weeks, and things continued to slide in the wrong direction there as the seven-day positivity rate increased to 12.7% as of Oct. 22.
Hospitalizations have also continued to increase in Region 1, meaning that a reversal of restrictions in the region is highly unlikely at this time.
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Region 5 –
This region in southeastern Illinois, which saw restrictions go into effect Thursday, saw its positivity rate go up as well on Sunday, rising to 8.7% as it deals with the closure of indoor service at bars and restaurants.
Region 7 –
The rise in positivity rates in this region, comprised of Will and Kankakee counties, has largely slowed, but the positivity rate remains over the threshold for mitigations, sitting at 9.3% for the second consecutive day.
Hospitalization rates continue to be a cause for concern in the region, with just 25% of hospital beds available and 27% of ICU beds available in the event of a surge in those numbers.
Region 8 –
This region, including DuPage and Kane counties, saw mitigations go into effect Friday, but numbers are beginning to decline a bit, dropping from 9.4% to 9.2% positivity over the last three days.
Hospitalizations continue to rise in that area, however, with 25% of hospital beds currently available in the two counties.
Here are the current metrics for other regions that could be nearing additional mitigation restrictions:
Region 2 –
This region, which includes Peoria, has seen its positivity rate largely flatten in recent days, with that number remaining at 7% each of the last four days. Hospitalizations have also flattened during that time, indicating that the region may be stabilizing its numbers.
Region 3 –
This region, which includes Springfield, has largely been stable in terms of positivity rates in recent days, but ticked upward on Sunday, with the rate now sitting at 7.5%.
Region 3’s ICU bed availability is also a cause for concern, sitting at 25% as of Sunday. If that number dips below 20%, mitigations could be put into effect.
Region 4 –
In all likelihood this region could see new mitigations put into effect this week, as its positivity rate has remained above 8% for the last three days in a row.
No announcement has been made to that effect however, but we will keep this story updated if that changes.
Region 9 –
This region, which includes McHenry and Lake counties, is very close to triggering mitigations, as the positivity rate rose from 7.8% to 7.9% this weekend.
Hospital availability remains good in the region, with nearly 50% of ICU beds still available in the event of a surge in cases.
Region 10 –
The positivity rate in this region, which includes all of Cook County outside of Chicago, has continued to rise in recent days, hitting 7.7% as of Oct. 22. That is still short of triggering mitigations, but hospital rates are rising at an alarming pace, going up by 40% over the last nine days.
Region 11 –
Chicago has already seen new mitigations put in place, but state metrics could impose even more restrictions soon, as the city’s positivity rate has risen to 7.5% and its hospital availability percentage has dropped to 22% in recent days.
