COVID-19 positivity rate continues to climb in Will County

Half of Illinois’ 102 counties were placed on the state’s COVID-19 warning list last week, including Will County.

That warning list is in addition to the resurgence mitigation placed on Region 7, which consists of Will and Kankakee Counties.

As of Tuesday, those numbers remain on the rise in Region 7.

The regional data is posted to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) website with a three day lag period. As of Tuesday, the latest numbers indicate eight days of positivity increases in Region 7, with the latest reported data from Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9.6%.

That marks six days in a row where the positivity rate was above 9%.

The numbers are higher for Will County when separated from Region 7.

The positivity rates in Will County were 9.5%, 9.7% 9.5%, 9.8%, and 10% for Oct. 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24, respectively.

The positivity rate is calculated as total positive tests to total tests.

That means Will County remains under those resurgence mitigations.

Per the governor’s Restore Illinois plan, mitigations will be applied if a region’s positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% for three consecutive days, or if a region experiences a sustained increase in the positivity rate (increases in 7 out of 10 days) and sustained increase in hospital admissions for a COVID-19 like illness or reduction in hospital capacity that threatens surge capabilities (availability of ICU or med/surgical beds under 20 percent).

If a region has exceeded IDPH criteria that trigger additional mitigations to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 and prevent uncontrollable spread, new measures are necessary to curtail further spread.

Region 7 entered the resurgence mitigation phase on Friday, Oct. 23.

Those mitigations include no indoor service at bars and restaurants, closure of all bars by 11 p.m., no party buses, limits on gatherings to 25% of the venue capacity, and gaming and casinos limited to 25% venue capacity, must close by 11 p.m., and must adhere to mitigations for bars and restaurants, if applicable.

The resurgence mitigations do not affect sports or outdoor activities not otherwise included in the exposure or gathering settings.

IDPH will continue to track the positivity rate in regions requiring additional mitigations over a 14-day monitoring period to determine if mitigations can be relaxed, if additional mitigations are required, or if current mitigation should remain in place.

If the positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5% over a three day period, the region will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore Illinois Plan.

If the positivity rate averages between 6.5% and 8%, IDPH will continue to monitor the region to determine if additional mitigations are needed.

If the positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% after 14 days, more stringent mitigations can be applied to further reduce spread of the virus, which could include reducing capacity on organized group recreation, fitness or other activities supported by local contact tracing data and temporary suspension of certain activities.

Per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), close contacts of positive cases should quarantine for 14 days since the last encounter with the sick individual.

With a resurgence of the virus in the state, health officials remind residents they can help slow the spread by wearing a face covering in public, maintain acceptable social distancing, and frequent hand washing.

In an emotional address to the public on Friday, Oct. 23, IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike said it’s sad to see the numbers going up again.

“I’ve never run a marathon, but I have the utmost regard for those who’ve been able to train and plan and finish a marathon. But this is a difficult race when you can’t actually see the endpoint, and I’m sorry that that’s the message I have for you,” Ezike said.

“Nevertheless, I’m asking you to fight the fatigue. Fight the urge to give up on social distancing. Fight for your kids to have safe, health opportunity to have in-person learning in school with teachers who were trained to teach them in the classroom,” she continued. “Fight to have safe, healthy environments in which we can work so that businesses can remain open so that our economies can start to thrive again. This does mean wearing your mask.”

The IDPH reported Tuesday 4,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 46 additional deaths, including two people in Will County, a female in her 70s and a male in his 80s.

The IDPH is reporting a total of 382,985 cases, including 9,568 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from Oct. 20 through Oct. 26 is 6.4%.

As of Monday, 2,758 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 595 patients were in the ICU and 241 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

In the 60481 zip code, which includes Wilmington, Shadow Lakes, Symerton, and surrounding rural areas, the total number of positive cases as of Tuesday is 228 of 5,520 tests performed, a positivity rate of 4.1%.

In the 60408 zip code, which includes Braidwood, the total is 128 out of 2,111 tests performed, a positivity rate of 6%

Case per zip code data can be found on the IDPH website at www.dph.illinois.gov.

“With our mask and our clean hands and our physical distancing we can prevent exposure to this deadly virus,” Ezike said during a press conference in Peoria on Monday.