IL Reports 17 Cases Of Omicron, Number Expected To Skyrocket

ILLINOIS — Seventeen cases of the omicron coronavirus variant have now been reported statewide as of Monday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The first cases of the variant in Illinois were reported last week, one in Chicago and another in suburban Cook County.

Of the newly reported cases, county health officials told the Daily Herald that "fewer than 10 cases, including the original" were reported in the suburbs. Some were connected to the initial omicron case there, but others were not.

According to the World Health Organization, cases of omicron are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission.

Health officials said the omicron variant likely evades some protection afforded by the vaccines, but a third booster shot was able to neutralize omicron in laboratory tests, according to drugmakers. The CDC now recommends boosters for all adults.

Officials worry omicron could overwhelm hospitals this winter, even if most of the illnesses prove to be milder than with previous variants, as some studies indicate.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical advisor, warned Americans to brace for a tough winter as omicron takes over as the dominant strain in the country, according to CNN.

"Besides the toll of suffering and death, which will inevitably go up if, in fact, we have that convergence in the winter months of flu and omicron and delta, we could get our hospital systems overwhelmed," Fauci told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to The Hill.

Last week, state health officials reported another 59,312 cases of the virus and 316 deaths from COVID-19. In total, 1.94 million Illinoisans have been sickened since the pandemic began, and 27,117 have died. As of Friday, 3,783 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, including 787 in intensive care and 353 on ventilators.

In every region of the state, hospitals were nearing capacity, with 17 percent of hospital beds available statewide and just 9 percent of ICU beds open.

"It's very important that people just take extra precautions, especially now because, yes, our hospitals are filling up — with unvaccinated people, I might add," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said last week.

In Cook County, health officials said those extra precautions should include businesses requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test of their patrons — currently that's just a recommendation, not a mandate.

State health officials said more than 18.4 million doses of the vaccines have now gone into arms statewide since the rollout began a year ago last week. That number includes more than 2.5 million booster shots. About 59.7 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated, but that number varies widely by county — from 82.3 percent in DuPage to just 23.7 percent in Alexander.

"We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated," the White House warned on Friday in a statement. "You've done the right thing, and we will get through this.

"For the unvaccinated, you're looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm."