Lake County joins DuPage at 'medium' risk for COVID-19, with a warning for suburban Cook

New cases of COVID-19 are climbing once again, with the Illinois Department of Public Health showing nearly 6,000 new cases were reported Friday alone - the most in a single day since Feb. 4.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported DuPage County at a medium risk level when the county's number of new cases per 100,000 residents climbed above 200 for the week. This week, Lake County was put at medium risk as well after recording 212 new cases per 100,000 residents over the last week.

Champaign, McLean and Logan counties are also at medium risk, according to the CDC's website.

The CDC is not declaring Cook County a medium-risk community, but the Cook County Department of Public Health issued its own warning Friday for the suburban portion of the county, suggesting those with underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for complications wear masks in indoor public settings. County public health officials said the suburban portion of the county saw 210 new cases for every 100,000 residents over the past week.

"These recommendations are not new but are being emphasized to protect our communities from further increases in COVID," said Dr. Rachel Rubin, colead and medical director at the county health department. "As hospitalizations remain low, we want to contain further spread now."

IDPH officials note that in those medium-risk counties, "persons who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places. In addition, they should make sure to get up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their second booster, if eligible."

The spike is due in large part to the prevalence of the BA. 2 subvariant of the omicron version of COVID-19.

Kane County remains at low risk.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have grown more than 19% over the past week, but the number of those patients needing an ICU bed is down 8% from a week ago.

IDPH records show there were 732 COVID-19 patients hospitalized throughout the state Friday, and only 75 of those patients were in an ICU bed. That's barely 10% of the COVID-19 patients hospitalized.

A week ago, IDPH records showed 613 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and 82 of them in ICU beds, which amounts to 13.3% of all COVID-19 patients.

IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars lauded the availability of therapeutics and other treatments for preventing graver outcomes.

"The treatments are widely available with a prescription, and they are much more effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths when they are taken early in the course of the illness," she said.

IDPH officials also reported 46 more COVID-19 deaths this week, bringing the state's death toll from the respiratory disease to 33,614.

Another 24,646 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the last week as well, records show. The state's public health agency has logged 3,138,682 infections since the start of the pandemic.

The CDC is also reporting 68.7% of the state's 12.7 million residents are fully vaccinated. And of those fully vaccinated, 51.1% have received at least one booster shot.

Vaccine providers in Illinois are averaging 15,913 doses a day this past week, IDPH records show.