DuPage County COVID-19 Case Rate Rises 3 Percent: Officials

WHEATON, IL — The DuPage County Health Department is again urging residents to take preventative measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 as the 7-day rolling average of new coronavirus cases in DuPage County has risen 3 percent in the last week.

The county's 7-day rolling average rose from 161 cases per day last week to 166 per day this week, according a news release from the health department. Additionally, there were 115 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, and 20 of them have received the "most intensive health care services in Intensive Care Units," the department said.

Over 97 percent of the DuPage County residents that have been hospitalized and/or died from COVID-19 since mid-December 2020 were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the department.

DuPage County has had one of the nation's highest vaccination rates, and according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 100 percent of residents 65 years old and up have received at least one COVID-19 dose, and 83 percent are fully vaccinated.

Related: DuPage County Among Top 2 Percent Of Highest Vaccinated Counties

The latest CDC data also shows that 85 percent of eligible DuPage County residents 12 years and older have received at least one shot, and 68 percent are fully vaccinated.

Those numbers drop when looking at the youngest age group, though: Only 73 percent of people ages 12 to 17 have received at least one dose, and only 53 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

The DCHD is urging DuPage County residents to practice the preventative measures available to limit the spread of COVID-19 and help protect essential activities in the community – such as safe, in-person schooling.

"Keeping children safe as they return to in-person learning this school year is a top priority. But to achieve this, we must all do our part and get vaccinated as soon as possible while also practicing all preventive measure such as wearing a mask in public indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status," Karen Ayala, DuPage County Health Department executive director, said in a statement. "By following these evidence-based preventive measures we will help slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect those who are vulnerable, including people who are immunocompromised and children under the age of 12 who do not yet have protection against the virus."

The DCHD is also currently monitoring federal recommendations for people who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to receive a booster dose eight months after their second, beginning Sept. 20, it said in the news release.

However, before that can happen, the Food and Drug Administration must authorize a third dose of the mRNA vaccines and the CDC must review the evidence and make recommendations.