Daily Herald opinion: A jump in COVID numbers raises red flags, but not alarms - if we stay vigilant

This editorial represents the consensus opinion of The Daily Herald Editorial Board.

If recent headlines tracking new increases in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations caused you to catch your breath, don't feel alone. It's only normal after the disruption and false starts we've all lived through for the past two years to be especially fearful of being suddenly jerked back into the past.

But there is reason to breathe a little easier this time and not assume a return to isolation and universal masks is right around the corner.

It starts with acknowledging that some increase in cases is bound to appear merely because so many people have pocketed their masks. No one ever said that the coronavirus risk has been eliminated totally, so it is only natural to realize the disease is going to spread somewhat in a largely maskless environment.

But that acknowledgment notwithstanding, there are other signs of hope. As our Jake Griffin reported Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says more than two-thirds of Illinoisans are vaccinated, and more than half have taken the first booster. That's still short of the ideal, but it's not far off. It reflects continuing improvement in the fight to stop the spread of the disease.

Interestingly, as yet another highly contagious coronavirus strain has begun to emerge, vaccinations also surged last week, with nearly 20,000 shots on Thursday alone. That one-day figure, the highest since mid-February, reflects a population growing ever more conscious of the value of taking precautions.

More practically, that also suggests an environment in which the coronavirus will have a harder time spreading. The CDC reports vaccination rates between 70% and 80% in each of Cook, Lake and DuPage counties, and it says that all but one of Illinois' 102 counties are considered at low risk of infection, the CDC says.

That doesn't mean there is no risk of infection, of course, as the slight increases of last week attest. Vaccinated or unvaccinated, masked up or maskless, people still do get sick. And the sickness can be far more serious than a few miserable days in bed. Let's not forget that each one of those 87 deaths the Illinois Department of Public Health reported last week represented a personal tragedy endured by individuals and their circle of family and friends, no less painful than any of the 33,394 deaths the disease caused in Illinoisans since the beginning of the pandemic.

So, just as we ought not be overly alarmed by a slight uptick in a week's COVID numbers, so we should not be overly indifferent to the threats that remain. We still need to be cautious when appearing in crowds, and we must definitely take special care around the elderly or others who may be at higher natural risk both for infection and for severe consequences after infection.

In many ways, it seems like we emerge a little more every day from the anxieties of the past two years. Sudden upticks in numbers remind us that we are not entirely out of danger yet. That's not a cause for overreaction. But it is a reality check reminding us of what we need to do to truly get this crisis behind us.