New COVID-19 cases per capita: Kane County lowest in the region, Will County highest
DuPage County leads the six-county region for COVID-19 vaccinations but also owns a less desirable metric - the third-highest number of new infections per capita, U.S. Centers for Disease Control records showed Monday.
The latest suburban data comes as public health officials scramble to get a handle on a new surge in COVID-19 cases attributable to the highly contagious delta variant that is mainly affecting unvaccinated people.
Will County has the most virus infections in the Chicago area with 89 new cases per 100,000 people between July 25 and Saturday, the CDC reported. The county ranks fifth out of six for vaccinations, with 72.3% of residents age 12 and older receiving at least one dose. Children ages 11 and younger are not eligible for shots yet.
McHenry County follows with nearly 75.4 new infections per 100,000 people and the lowest vaccination rate, with 71.3% of individuals age 12 and older having had at least one shot.
In DuPage County, over 70.8 new infections per 100,000 people have been diagnosed, and 83% of the eligible population has been vaccinated.
"More than 200,000 eligible persons are still not fully vaccinated and are consequently at higher risk of becoming infected with COVID-19," DuPage County Health Department spokeswoman Stephanie Calvillo said.
"Further, we are learning the delta variant is significantly more transmissible than prior strains. In DuPage County, over 99.9% of hospitalized and deceased COVID-19 cases since mid-December 2020 have been in persons not fully vaccinated against COVID-19."
Cook County, including Chicago, has 56.8 new cases per 100,000 residents, and 76.6% of residents 12 and older have had at least one shot. Lake County is recording 55.6 new infections per 100,000 people and nearly 80% of eligible residents with at least one vaccine dose.
Kane County had the lowest new case count with 53.9 diagnoses per 100,000 people, and shows 73.1% of residents have been vaccinated.
All six counties have "substantial" transmission levels of COVID-19 which, based on new federal and state recommendations, is supposed to trigger mask-wearing indoors. Local health officials also have urged mask-wearing for everyone inside public places, but no government mandates are in effect and individual compliance is spotty, at best.
The CDC also last week urged masks indoors in schools when classes start.
A substantial transmission alert occurs when 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 people crop up over seven days.
Asked at a Monday event about potential face mask mandates indoors, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state is adhering to CDC guidance. "We think it's important for people to take responsibility for themselves, as well as for businesses to take responsibility, not to mention schools, to keep the people who attend those schools or patrons of those businesses safe.
"That's why we want to strongly encourage people to wear masks indoors and please get vaccinated."
Pritzker added he decided to cancel his plans to attend Lollapalooza last weekend in Chicago "out of an abundance of caution."
New cases of COVID-19 came to 5,608 over the weekend with 11 more people dying from the respiratory disease, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Monday.
From Friday through Sunday, 79,040 more COVID-19 shots were administered. The seven-day average is 27,396.
The federal government has delivered 14,948,895 doses of vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December and 13,290,344 shots have been administered.
So far, 6,505,883 people have been fully vaccinated, or 51% of Illinois' 12.7 million population. Vaccines manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. require two doses several weeks apart.
A Schaumburg person, who was not named, won $100,000 in a statewide lottery drawing Monday for those who are vaccinated. Weekly drawings continue through Aug. 18, with people who have been vaccinated in the state automatically entered.
Patients in the hospital with COVID-19 came to 2,821 from Friday through Sunday nights.
The state's positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is 4.3% based on a seven-day average, reflecting a continued rise.
Total cases statewide stand at 1,425,219 and 23,451 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.
New infections came to 2,180 on Saturday, 1,741 on Sunday and 1,687 on Monday, state records show. The IDPH does not update COVID-19 data on the weekends.