The fall COVID-19 surge 'has begun,' state health officials say, as hospitalizations rise
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Illinois are at their highest levels in more than a month, which Illinois Department of Public Health officials say indicates the start of an expected “fall surge” of infections.
“It has begun,” said Dr. Arti Barnes, the state public health agency's chief medical officer. “With the past pattern of COVID-19 and human behavior around the holiday season, we expect the numbers may, unfortunately, be going up even higher.”
Hospitals across the state averaged 1,096 COVID-19 patients a day over the past week, up from a daily average of 964 a week ago, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records.
That amounts to a 13.7% increase in one week.
Currently, 1,080 patients are being treated for COVID-19 statewide. Earlier in the week, there were 1,153, the most since Sept. 21, according to IDPH figures.
Among those currently hospitalized are 129 COVID-19 patients in ICU beds.
A week ago, there were 124 COVID-19 patients in intensive care, IDPH records show.
Barnes said the flu and other respiratory ailments are also expected to be on the rise, which could challenge hospital resources throughout the winter as well.
“The environment is right for a high number of cases, but are those cases going to be severely sick that they wind up in the hospital? It's too early to tell,” she said.
IDPH officials are also reporting 13,642 more cases diagnosed over the past week, up from 11,955 new cases a week ago.
Another 67 Illinois residents died from COVID-19 in the past week as well, bringing the state's death toll from the virus to 35,235 since the outset of the pandemic.
“As the weather is getting colder and Halloween is nearly upon us, Illinois and much of the nation are seeing a notable increase in individuals getting sick from respiratory viruses, including the flu, RSV and once again COVID-19,” IDPH Director Sameer Vohra said. “This uptick makes it critically important for everyone to use the tools that are available to protect yourself and your family. Vaccines remain the most powerful tool to prevent serious illness.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that Illinois is one of just 12 states where more than 10% of the eligible population of residents age 5 and older have received a dose of the vaccine booster specifically designed to fight against the more aggressive omicron subvariants of the virus.
The CDC is reporting that 70.4% of the state's 12.8 million residents have completed the primary vaccination schedule.
Health officials said it's too soon to see any correlation between areas of the state where there has been higher uptake of the new booster dose and hospitalizations. But historically, areas of the state with higher levels of vaccinations saw fewer hospitalizations, they said.
“I think we're in a much better position in terms of our understanding from a facilities standpoint and treatment plan,” said Dr. Tom Oryszczak, chief medical officer at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. “We have antiviral therapies and other therapies for inpatient treatment, and we've learned a lot over the past few years, so we're well-prepared. Couple that with vaccinations over the past year and I think we're in a better place.”