Gov. J.B. Pritkzer warns at briefings this week that case numbers are trending up, putting several regions in the state at risk of having restrictions imposed again. Numbers in Homewood and Flossmoor also rise, while deaths have remained stable.
Governor sounds alarm about trends. Homewood and Flossmoor COVID-19 case numbers continue to increase slowly, but the trends elsewhere in the state, including the Chicago suburban Region 10, are causing alarm among health officials, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a warning on Thursday.
“We’re at a danger point,” he said. “Right now, things are not heading in the right direction.”
The briefing took place in Peoria and referred specifically to the Peoria area’s Region 2, but the numbers across the board are causing officials some alarm, as the seven-day rolling average for positive test rate has been steadily increasing in the past month, from a low of 2 percent in the third week of June to 3.9 percent on Sunday.
In mid-July, the state set new metrics for triggering the reinstatement of restrictions to stem the spread of the virus. Any region that sees increases in positive test rates for seven of 10 days plus a seven-day increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 will be subject to tighter restrictions.
Local case numbers. Homewood lost residents in the past week to COVID-19, bringing the total deaths to 33. Flossmoor’s number of fatalities remained the same at nine. The number of infections rose in both villages, with Flossmoor adding 19 new cases in the past week, for a total of 137, and Homewood adding 11 new cases for a total of 333.
More numbers. Note: The nursing home data below comes from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Village death numbers come from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Village case numbers come from the Cook County Department of Public Health. Differences in reporting systems may account for discrepancies. These numbers were updated Sunday with the latest available information from each source.
Region 10 (includes H-F)
Positve test rate: 5.9 percent
Trend: 8 days increase
Hospitalizations: 17
Trend: 3 days increase
(Source: IDPH. Updated July 30)
Homewood
Cases: 337
Deaths: 33
Case rate: 17.13 per 1,000 people
Nursing home cases: 133
Nursing home deaths: 34
Flossmoor
Cases: 137
Deaths: 9
Case rate: 13.84 per 1,000 people
Nursing home cases: 12
Nursing home deaths: 6
Suburban Cook County
Cases: 41,965
Deaths: 1,798
Source: Cook County Public Health
Cook County
Cases: 106,131
Deaths: 4,888
Source: Johns Hopkins University & Medical Center Coronavirus Resource Center
Illinois
New cases today: 1,467
New deaths today: 14
New tests today: 38,945
Positive test rate: 3.9%
Total cases: 181,943
Total tests: 2,699,568
Total deaths: 7,517
Recovery rate: 95%