coronavirus illinois

Illinois COVID Regions: Metrics Show Slight Upticks in Suburban Chicago Communities

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

While most of the state of Illinois is seeing stability or even downward trends in COVID metrics, several Chicago-area communities are seeing slight upticks in positivity rates in recent days.

According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the highest positivity rate among the state’s 11 health care regions is in Region 8, comprised of Kane and DuPage counties.

On March 17, the region hit a positivity rate of 2%, but just eight days later, that number has bumped back up to 2.7%, bucking a trend statewide of lower positivity rates and COVID case numbers in recent weeks.

ICU bed availability in the region has stabilized, and the number of COVID patients currently hospitalized in the region has been on a downward trend as well, decreasing on nine of the last 10 days, according to IDPH data.

Region 9, comprised of McHenry and Lake counties, has seen its positivity rates bump upward from 1.6% to 2% in recent days, while Region 7, made up of Will and Kankakee counties, has also moved up to 2%.

ICU bed availability has also dropped in Region 7, decreasing to 21%, but that isn’t solely due to COVID cases, according to IDPH officials.

Even with those numbers, most of the state is still doing well in all metrics. That is especially true in Region 4, located near St. Louis in the southwestern corner of the state. There, the positivity rate has dropped to 1.1%, and ICU bed availability has surged upward to 34%.

In Region 5, comprised of 20 counties in the southern tip of Illinois, the positivity rate has dropped to 1.2% in recent days.

In total, the state of Illinois is seeing a positivity rate of 1.5% on all COVID tests, a slight increase from a week ago. The state currently has 59 patients in ICU beds with COVID, the lowest number recorded during the pandemic, and hospitalizations have continued to decline, with 461 patients currently in hospital beds after COVID diagnoses, per state officials.

Here are the metrics from all 11 of Illinois’ health care regions:

Region 1 (Northwest Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.6% (decreasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 24% (increasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 7/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 2 (West-Central Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.5% (decreasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 26% (increasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 3 (West Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.6% (stable)

ICU Bed Availability – 28% (increasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 6/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 4 (Southwest Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.1% (decreasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 34% (increasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 5 (South Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.2% (decreasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 16% (stable)

Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 6 (East-Central Illinois):

Positivity Rate – 1.4% (stable)

ICU Bed Availability – 31% (increasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 7 (Will, Kankakee counties):

Positivity Rate – 2% (increasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 21% (stable)

Hospitalization Trends – 8/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 8 (Kane, DuPage counties):

Positivity Rate – 2.7% (stable)

ICU Bed Availability – 29% (stable)

Hospitalization Trends – 10/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 9 (McHenry, Lake counties):

Positivity Rate – 2% (increasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 30% (decreasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 7/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 10 (Suburban Cook County):

Positivity Rate – 1.7% (increasing)

ICU Bed Availability – 23% (stable)

Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days decreasing or stable

Region 11 (Chicago):

Positivity Rate – 1.2% (stable)

ICU Bed Availability – 18% (decreasing)

Hospitalization Trends – 9/10 days decreasing or stable

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