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All but one of Illinois counties are on “alert level” for the coronavirus as state officials impose Level 3 mitigation efforts starting Friday.
The new restrictions, announced by Gov. JB Pritzker, were in response to a rapid increase in coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations statewide over the past month.
Level 3 mitigation measures in Illinois are forcing several businesses and spaces to close, including casinos and museums, among others. Non-essential businesses, such as gyms and salons, are also facing new limitations.
The “alert level” for most counties in Illinois means each has seen an increase in two or more “COVID-19 risk indicators,” the health department said. Counties now under a warning include all counties in the state except the Union in southern Illinois.
Here are the metrics for the regions of the state, all of which face mitigations:
Region 1 –
Region 1, located in northwestern Illinois, reported an 18.2% positvity rate on Wednesday, a decrease from its high of 20.9% exactly a week earlier.
Hospitalization rates remained fairly stable across the region, hitting 30 on Wednesday. The availability of ICU beds is 25% and hospital beds 28%.
Counties in Region 1 include Boone, Caroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago.
Region 2 –
Region 2 has also seen a slow and steady decline in COVID-19 positivity rates over the past week, peaking at 17% but dropping to 16.1% on Wednesday.
Hospital admissions in the region have seen a steady increase in recent days, with just 29% of available hospital beds and 26% of ICU beds.
Region 2 counties include Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, and Woodford.
Region 3 –
Region 3, which includes Springfield and other cities in western Illinois, has seen its positivity rate decline steadily over the past week, reporting 15.3% on Wednesday – the region’s lowest since November 8.
However, hospitalization rates in the region have increased, now standing at 30. The availability of ICU beds is currently 20% and hospital beds at 28%.
Region 3 counties include Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Logan, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Sangamon, Schuyler, and Scott.
Region 4 –
Region 4, which is adjacent to Saint-Louis, has seen a steady increase in positvity rates since November 8, peaking at 16.4% on Monday. The region fell to 15.5% on Wednesday.
Hospitalizations currently stand at 13 with ICU bed availability at 23% and hospital bed availability at 16%, which is below the Illinois Department of Public Health’s 20% threshold.
Counties in Region 4 include Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair, and Washington.
Region 5 –
Located in southern Illinois, Region 5’s positivity rate just fell on Wednesday to 12.9%. The region peaked at 13.9% on November 13-14.
Hospitalizations in the region have seen a steady increase since November 14, currently at 16 with 45% of available hospital beds and 30% of ICU beds.
Counties in Region 5 include Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White and Williamson. Union County is the only one in Illinois not to be on “alert level,” according to health officials.
Region 6 –
Region 6, containing Illinois’ Champaign County, calculates positivity rates separately from the saliva test results at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Excluding university, the region’s positivity rate generally fell to 14.5% on Wednesday, 0.1% lower than a day earlier.
Including the saliva test, the region would be at a 5.5% positvity rate, which is the lowest in the state but still rising steadily since November 8.
Hospitalizations also saw an increase to 35 on Wednesday, based on data from the IDPH. The availability of intensive care beds is 33% and the availability of hospital beds is 29%.
Counties in Region 6 include Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Iraquois, Jasper, Lawrence, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Richland, Shelby and Vermilion.
Region 7 –
Only two counties are included in Region 7, which had seen an increase in positivity rates until Tuesday, when the region began to decline. The rate stands at 20.1% as of Wednesday.
Hospitalization rates have slowly increased in Region 7, with officials currently reporting 47. The availability of intensive care beds is 15% and hospital beds at 12%, both below the 20% threshold set by the state health department.
Counties in Region 7 include Kankakee and Will.
Region 8 –
Region 8, again made up of just two counties, saw lower positvity rates over the past week, but rose 0.2% from the day before Wednesday to 14.8%.
Hospitalization rates remain the state’s third in Region 8, reporting 60 on Wednesday. The availability of ICU beds is 23% and hospital beds 17%, which is below the 20% threshold.
Counties in Region 8 include DuPage and Kane.
Region 9 –
Made up of just two counties again, Region 9’s positivity rate fell and then remained stable at 15% on Wednesday. The region peaked at 17.1% on November 13.
Hospital admissions saw an increase across the region, to 44 on Wednesday. According to data from the IDPH, the availability of ICU beds is 31% and hospital beds 20%.
Counties in Region 9 include Lake and McHenry.
Region 10 –
Region 10, which includes all of Cook County outside the Chicago city limits, has seen a general drop in the positivity rate since Sunday, but has fluctuated 0.2% over the past week. The region’s rate was 15.6% on Wednesday.
The region saw an eight-day increase in hospital admissions, standing at 120 on Wednesday – the highest in the state. The availability of hospital beds is 21% and intensive care beds 20%.
Cook is the only county included in Region 10.
Region 11 –
Chicago, the only city in Region 11, has seen a slow and steady drop in positivity rates, which are said to be 14.9% on Wednesday. The region peaked on November 13 at 15.6%.
With Illinois’ second-highest hospitalization at 115, Chicago has seen a five-day increase in hospitalizations. The availability of ICU beds is 23% and hospital beds 21%.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city was on a ‘stay at home notice’, encouraging residents to leave their homes only for necessary tasks and to practice mitigation efforts appropriate when in public.
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