COVID-19 hospitalization inching back up across Illinois

After dipping to some of the lowest levels in a year, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Illinois are inching back up.

Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 998 people hospitalized with the virus on Wednesday, up 19% from the week prior.

Of those currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 142 are in ICU beds, the most in nearly a month, IDPH records show.

Despite the uptick, hospitals are not in peril of becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.

These figures are still well below major surges in the past when thousands were hospitalized across the state.

Health officials attribute the lower overall hospitalization figures this winter to vaccinations and natural immunities caused by infections.

This week, researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation COVID-19 Forecasting Team released a major study showing natural immunity from a COVID-19 infection can significantly reduce the likelihood of symptomatic illness if reinfected within 10 months.

However, the researchers noted “the safest way” to get immunity is through vaccinations.

Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 69.2% of the U.S. population has completed the primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations, but just 16% have received a booster dose that targets the current prevailing variant.

In Illinois, 71.3% of the state's 12.8 million residents have received the primary inoculation series, while 19.3% have received the bivalent booster dose recommended to everyone.

Since the outset of the pandemic, Illinois has recorded 36,297 COVID-19 deaths. That includes 68 more who died the week ending Feb. 12, IDPH records show.

More than 4 million cases of the disease have been diagnosed in Illinois since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. Another 10,813 cases were diagnosed over the course of last week, IDPH is reporting.