With a rise in COVID-19 cases fueled by the Delta variant in Illinois, the Lake County Health Department issued a plea to residents Friday, reminding about precautionary measures such as wearing face coverings and partaking in social distancing.
In Lake County, cases have been steadily increasing over the past month, with the positivity rate more than doubling in the last week, according to a news release from health officials on Friday.
"“As the Delta variant becomes more prevalent nationally, we are seeing that it spreads more easily than other variants,” Dr. Sana Ahmed, medical epidemiologist, said in the news release. "New COVID-19 cases are being seen primarily among unvaccinated individuals and our younger population.”
In Lake County, more than 51% of residents are fully vaccinated and more than 739,000 vaccine doses have been been administered.
Statewide, after months of decline, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Illinois recently doubled in a period of nine days.
The state saw 460 new cases on July 12, and by Wednesday, the number of new daily cases was reported to be 958, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
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