As COVID-19 cases continue to spike across Illinois, a concerning sign in Chicago shows that the increase is likely to continue in the coming weeks.
According to Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, elevated levels of COVID-19 have been detected in the city's wastewater in recent weeks.
"Our wastewater sampling is actually at a high concern and that is consistent with what we're seeing across the country," Arwady said earlier this week, reflecting on the rise in cases that has affected much of the U.S.
Arwady added that the rise in COVID-19 detection in wastewater typically precedes an upcoming rise in case of the virus, and that Chicago's level of concern is currently at a "medium" level.
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According to CDC data released Friday, Lake, McHenry, Cook, Kane, Grundy, Kendall, DuPage and Will counties are all at a "medium" COVID-19 community level, with 29 of Illinois' 102 counties now at a "high" community level.
With many counties in downstate Illinois now at a high community level, Arwady advised those traveling to any area with a high COVID-19 community level to wear masks while indoors and be up to date on vaccinations.
"In downstate Illinois, we do have some counties that are at a high level at this point. And it's especially important if you're going there, really anywhere that's a high level, you really should be masking indoors in those settings and taking extra precautions. Make sure you're up to date with your vaccines before you travel to a location at a higher level," Arwady said.
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Arwady added that more subvariants of omicron are becoming more prevalent, as the long-dominant BA.5 subvariant continues to fade as other subvariants rise.
"If you go to the most recent week ending December 3, we're down to less than 20% of our cases being that BA.5 and we've been seeing all of these new subvariants emerge. Every time COVID spreads person-to-person, it copies itself, and that is when you have the potential for new variants to emerge," Arwady said.
With more holiday gatherings on the horizon for many as Christmas and New Year's Day approach, public health officials are anticipating cases to continue to climb in the coming weeks.
