Cases of COVID are likely to continue to increase in the coming weeks, Chicago’s top doc warns – NBC Chicago

Cases of COVID-19 continue to grow across the United States, and top Chicago doctors say they expect that trend to continue before the reversal occurs.

Dr. Allison Arwadi, Commissioner of the Chicago Public Health Service, predicts that Chicago’s positive rate has skyrocketed to nearly 5% in recent weeks and will continue to rise over the next few days.

“In this wave … more cases are likely to occur before we see it turn around,” she said. “And the last thing we want to do is get people to actually see that the number of hospitalized patients has increased significantly.”

According to the Chicago City Data Dashboard, the City of Chicago currently has an average of 893 new COVID cases per day and 231 new cases per 100,000 residents per week.

The latter number places cities in the “COVID Medium Community Level” classification under current CDC guidelines, and as a result, city health authorities are urging residents to wear masks while in indoor spaces. increase.

“I’m back in my wear when I’m out, especially when I’m in an environment that no one knows or in the crowd,” Arwady said.

Hospitalizations actually declined last week, reaching 3.5 per 100,000 residents per week. That number is significantly less than the 10 new weekly hospitalizations that the CDC says indicate that the city is at the “moderate community level” of the virus.

Although strong vaccination numbers in states and cities may have contributed to the slow increase in hospitalizations, Arwadi said the previous winter Omicron wave illness still protects. It states that it may be offering.

As the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to increase around the United States, some experts say the country may plunge into the fifth wave of the virus as summer approaches. Christian fur has details.

“That first Omicron wave continues to provide some protection, but that’s not the way you want to get more protection,” she said.

Nonetheless, the increase in COVID cases may indicate that the United States is in the “fifth wave” of COVID cases, according to some health experts.

Last week alone, Illinois COVID cases increased by more than 40%, but hospitalizations began to increase slowly, according to data from the Illinois Public Health Service.

“If you look at our rates, and (and) if you look at the CDC map, we’re right next to the east coast,” says Dr. Sharon Welbel of Cook County Health Department.

On the East Coast, cases of COVID have increased rapidly in recent weeks, primarily supported by new submutants of Omicron. Many counties are now considered to be at the “high community level” of the virus, and authorities warn that serious precautions may need to be taken to prevent the population from getting sick.

“The virus mutates very easily and mutates frequently,” says Dr. Robert Citronberg of Advocate Aurora Health. “That’s why we have so many variations.”

There are no Illinois counties at the “high community level” of COVID, but there are currently 14 counties at the “medium community level” of the virus. This includes Cook County and seven other Chicago regional counties. According to CDC data.

Both Chicago and Cook County have moved from “low” to “medium” risk for COVID-19, the Chicago Public Health Service announced Friday. Natalie Martinez of NBC5 has a story.

Across the state, Illinois currently has an average of 5,154 new cases of virus per day, up 41.6% from a week ago and over 180% last month. According to IDPH data.

Hospitalizations increased by just over 5% last week, with 777 Illinois patients positive for COVID.

These hospitalization trends, along with the fact that more than 73% of eligible state residents are fully vaccinated against COVID, give authorities the hope of avoiding large-scale surges and potential blockades. I am.

Nonetheless, there are concerns that numbers may continue to grow in the coming weeks.

“The more people who get vaccinated, the less likely they are to shut down,” said Citronberg. “That said, I don’t think there will be a catastrophic shutdown in our area.”

Chicago health officials encourage residents to wear masks indoors, but have not issued a new obligation to that effect. Once the county enters the “high community level” of the virus, such obligations could probably revert to those in line with the CDC guidelines.

However, it is unclear if such a move will occur.