Suburban COVID-19 case positivity rate drops below 6%

The collective seven-day case positivity rate for the suburbs has dropped below 6% for the first time since mid-December 2021.

That metric is down from 12.1% a week ago, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records.

Case positivity is the percentage of test results that yield a new case. A seven-day average is used to account for any anomalies in the daily reporting of those figures.

Currently, suburban Cook County as well as DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties are averaging 3,583 new cases a day over the past week. A week ago, the same region was averaging a little more than 9,500 new cases a day.

While new cases have dropped more than 62% from a week ago, testing has dropped off by nearly 21%, according to IDPH figures.

Statewide, the seven-day case positivity rate is at 6.3%, down from 10.7% a week ago, IDPH records show.

Case positivity is the percentage of new cases derived from a batch of tests. A seven-day average is used to account for any anomalies in the daily reporting of those figures.

IDPH officials also reported 87 more Illinois residents have died from COVID-19, while 9,463 more cases of the disease were diagnosed.

That brings the state's death toll from the virus to 31,123, while 2,939,099 infections have been recorded since the outset of the pandemic, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

IDPH officials also reported 3,645 COVID-19 patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, down 27.4% from a week ago.

Of those hospitalized, 632 were in intensive care, 27.9% less than a week ago, IDPH records show.

IDPH officials said 32,607 more COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. Thursday's tally will likely be significantly lower after Cook County closed mass vaccination sites because of the winter storm.

Vaccine providers in Illinois have now administered 20,581,294 doses of the vaccine, IDPH records show.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 66.3% of the state's 12.7 million residents are now fully vaccinated. Of those fully vaccinated, 47.5% have received a booster as well.

CDC figures also show the suburbs are outpacing most of the rest of the state in vaccinations. The federal agency is reporting 75.2% of DuPage County residents are fully vaccinated, followed by 74.9% of Lake County residents.

In Will County, 65.6% of residents are considered fully vaccinated, while 65.2% of McHenry County residents are, too. Kane County residents are considered 64.6% fully vaccinated, records show.

Unlike state records, the CDC does not separate Chicago from suburban Cook County. The CDC is reporting 69.6% of all Cook County residents are now fully vaccinated.