Will Co. Could See New Restrictions As Positivity Rate Increases

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Will County could soon see restrictions on public gatherings once again as Will County is now at a warning level — also knows as the orange level — for the coronavirus, with COVID-19 numbers heading in the wrong direction.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, a county enters a warning level when two or more coronavirus risk indicators increase. As of Friday, Will County is at a warning level for the number of deaths as well as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

The IDPH website reports 92 cases per 100,000 residents, after a rate of 71 cases per 100,000 residents the previous week. The target for this is less than 50. The number of deaths is currently 7, which has been reported for 7 days, increasing by more than 20 percent for 2 consecutive weeks.

The positivity rate in the county is also at an alarming 7.1 percent. Any region that sustains an 8 percent positivity rate for three days in a row or sees an increase in positivity rates and simultaneous decrease in hospital capacity will need to implement additional community mitigation interventions, the IDPH website states.

Will County could see similar restrictions that have been imposed on Region 4, since its positivity rate had reached 9.4 percent.

During a press conference Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that "troubling trends" are being reported in a majority of the state's 11 emergency management regions, especially region 7 — Will and Kankakee counties.

As of Friday, Region 7 is showing five days of positivity increase as well as three days of hospital admission increase over a 10-day period. Currently, there are 29 percent of surgical beds and 30 percent of ICU beds available across the two-county region, which have decreased since Wednesday. This will reach a warning level if there is less than 20 percent availability for either types of hospital beds.

Counties with increased COVID-19 activities are asked to implement measures for increased testing and contact tracing. The Will County Health Department said in a release Monday that it has already been doing both.