Twentysomethings prove to be the source of Kane County's COVID-19 upswing

Kane County landed on the state's warning list for an upswing in positive COVID-19 tests last week, and now health officials say they know who to blame: young people.

The county beefed up its COVID-19 contact tracing program this week, making nearly 500 contacts with people who may have been exposed to the virus in just the first few days of the enhanced program. That allowed county health officials to determine a surge in unsafe activities by 20- to 29-year-olds has pushed the local number of positive cases to 105 per 100,000 residents. That's more than double the state benchmark of 50 per 100,000 residents.

"What we see from the data is the 20- to 29-year-olds are at lots of parties and bars," said Barb Jeffers, the executive director of the county's public health department. "They are not masked, and they are not social distancing. We're getting lots of calls that people are hosting weddings of over 100 people. People are thinking they can do things privately and they don't have to wear or mask or social distance. Then they end up bringing the virus back to their co-workers, friends and family."

Jeffers said she's also keeping an eye on an uptick in positive cases among residents between the ages of 10 and 19. Jeffers said the resumption of sporting events and activities is most likely fueling that spike.

The health department also is fielding calls about long wait times for COVID-19 test results. The current average wait to get a result is 5 days. But there are multiple instances of delays of up to 25 days. Jeffers said testing labs must step up the pace of providing results, or the delays will fuel the spread of the virus.

"If you get your test today, and you don't have a result for seven to 14 days, it's a moot point," Jeffers said. "By that time, you've gone everywhere and you're shedding the virus as you go, especially if you're asymptomatic."

The transition of testing centers from being staffed by the Illinois National Guard to being run by private companies also triggered lengthy wait times at testing sites in Kane County. Jeffers said the companies are now up to speed and doing a much better job at swiftly moving people wanting tests through the process.

In the coming weeks, the county will push a new marketing campaign urging the use of masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing to prevent the possible repercussions of backsliding into Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's reopening plan. DuPage County's numbers would also have to take on a negative trend before the region both counties sit in would be penalized.