After smashing records in terms of new cases and hospitalizations in late December and early January, some locations in Illinois are beginning to show signs that a peak in the omicron surge may be arriving.
At the statewide level, Illinois reported 34,573 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Although the new number pushed the state to a daily case average of 32,501, it only represented a 1% increase in that number, continuing a recent slowing trend in the growth of new daily cases.
The state's positivity rate on all tests held steady at 12% on Wednesday, with the positivity rate on individuals tested declining to 16.7%, according to the newest data.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that 7,219 patients are currently hospitalized in the state, a decline of more than 100 patients from Tuesday’s record-high.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Officials say that data is beginning to show a slowdown in hospitalizations across the state, but caution that residents should not let their guard down and should continue to adhere to new mitigations and existing regulations as Illinois works to turn back the omicron-driven surge.
According to IDPH data, 1,131 of those patients are currently in intensive care units, marking a decline from Tuesday and continuing a recent flattening trend in the metric.
At the regional level, most areas are still seeing increases in hospitalizations, but the number of new hospitalizations is showing signs of slowing down. In addition, ICU availability rates are largely stabilizing across the state, especially in hard-hit areas like Region 5, located in the southern portion of the state, and in Region 7, comprised of Will and Kankakee counties.
News
Chicago and suburban Cook County are both showing rapid decreases in positivity rates, with the city’s 15.9% positivity rate showing a significant decrease from its peak of 18.7% just a week ago.
Earlier this month, Chicago reported significant increases in hospitalized patients, but the number has begun to slow in recent days, with just 13 new COVID admissions in the last 24 hours.
Here are the full metrics from each of Illinois’ 11 health care regions:
Region 1 (Northwest Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 21.9% (stable)
ICU Bed Availability – 5% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 7/10 days increasing
Region 2 (West-Central Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 21.1% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 9% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 3 (West Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 21.7% (increasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 9% (decreasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 4 (Southwest Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 25.6% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 11% (increasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 5 (South Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 15.3% (increasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 4% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days increasing
Region 6 (East-Central Illinois):
Positivity Rate – 19.9% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 14% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days increasing
Region 7 (Will, Kankakee Counties):
Positivity Rate – 22.7% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 6% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days increasing
Region 8 (Kane, DuPage Counties):
Positivity Rate – 20.8% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 10% (decreasing)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 9 (McHenry, Lake Counties):
Positivity Rate – 18% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 15% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 10 (Suburban Cook County):
Positivity Rate – 17% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 8% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
Region 11 (Chicago):
Positivity Rate – 15.9% (decreasing)
ICU Bed Availability – 8% (stable)
Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days increasing
