Community levels have improved within the past two weeks across Illinois, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, while health officials continue to closely monitor the spread of the more contagious "Kraken" variant.
According to CDC data, a total of 20 counties were at "medium" COVID status Friday, compared to 28 counties listed at an elevated status of either "medium" or "high" a week prior.
All of the counties in the Chicago area are listed in the "low" category, while there are clusters of counties at "medium" status listed in the eastern, northwestern and southern portions of the state.
Case numbers have remained relatively steady in recent weeks, with 10,924 new and probable COVID cases reported for the week ending Jan. 22 compared to 10,967 cases for the week ending Jan. 15. When it comes to hospitalizations, ICU bed availability has remained relatively steady, while admissions have declined in recent days.
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Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of IDPH, in a news release pointed out that while Illinois isn't seeing any counties at "high" status, cases of the XBB.1.5 strain, also known as the "Kraken" variant, have gradually increased across the state and Midwest since last week.
"At this moment, it is not leading to an increase in hospitalizations," he said. "Concerns remain about this variant, but new data released by the CDC shows that the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster is protective against it – reducing the risk of symptoms by nearly half.
The variant is now responsible for 61% of cases in the U.S., an uptick from 43% a week prior, according to CDC data. In the Midwest specifically, the strain has more than doubled in recent weeks, accounting for more than 36.5% of cases in the region as of Friday.
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As of late Thursday, 999 individuals were in the hospital with COVID-19 in Illinois. Of those people, 117 patients were in the ICU and 45 were on ventilators, according to IDPH. The week prior, 1,220 people were reported to be in the hospital with COVID.
Since the pandemic began, IDPH has reported a total of 4,019,768 cases, including 36,091 deaths, according to state data.
