Coronavirus: Data Shows Chicago Is 'Flattening The Curve'

CHICAGO — New data tracking the spread of new coronavirus suggests that staying home appears to be saving lives, city officials said.

Public health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said a new analysis of confirmed COVID-19 case data shows confirmed COVID-19 cases are doubling at a slower rate since the stay-at-home order was established. Last month, the number of coronavirus cases in Chicago doubled every two or three days. Today, the number of cases are doubling every 12 days, officials said.

“Thanks to our citywide efforts to stay home and socially isolate, we have made important progress in flattening the curve and stemming the spread of COVID-19 in Chicago,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.

“However, as encouraging as these numbers are, the light at the end of the tunnel is only a pinprick and we will need continued diligence and social compliance before we can bend the curve and outrun this crisis. That’s why it is imperative we continue to be safe and act responsibly, as it is truly a matter of life and death.”

The new data shows:

• The stay-at-home order has slowed the number of new cases and deaths.
• hospitals still have available beds, intensive care units and ventilators.
• About 80 percent of Chicagoans are complying with the stay home order last week compared to around 60 percent earlier this month, according to an analysis of cell phone data by BlueDot, a health data company.

“We are making progress. We’re not where we need to get in terms of thinking about, in my view, lifting the stay, although ultimately that’s the governor’s call," Lightfoot said.

"But we do think it’s important to let Chicagoans know why staying home is not just a catch phrase, but it’s something that we believe is vitally important from a public health standpoint.”