New COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Continue To Decline In Lake And McHenry Counties

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner:

State data shows that new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline in Lake and McHenry counties to the lowest levels since July.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reports Illinois’ statewide seven-day average case positivity rate is 2%.

The current COVID-19 wave peaked in early September and cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all been on a decline since, according to IDPH.

In Lake County, the test positivity rate was 2.1% as of Friday, which is the lowest since July. In McHenry County, the test positivity rate was 3% as of Friday, which is also the lowest for the county since July.

State data shows both counties have “minimal” new adult and youth cases.

Most counties in Illinois are still marked as “high transmission” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommends people in counties with high and substantial transmission wear masks indoors.

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Last week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was waiting for a further decline in COVID-19 cases before lifting the state’s mask mandate.

Pritzker had an indoor mask mandate in place for more than a year until he let the order expire in May.

He then re-instituted a mask mandate in July for all indoor gatherings.

IDPH data shows 80.7% of Illinois residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 63.2% of them are fully vaccinated.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.