New Delta variant cases continue to rise in Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,470 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths Friday, and a total of 13,056,857 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered.

This is the first time with back-to-back days over 1,000 new cases since late May.

For Thursday, the state administered 18,720 shots.

The state received the results of 36,928 COVID-19 tests in the 24 hours leading up to Friday afternoon. The state’s positivity rate went up to 3.3%.

Illinois has seen 1,407,929 total cases of the virus, and 23,401 people have died. The state has conducted a total of 26,534,129 tests since the start of the pandemic.

As of late Thursday, Illinois had 670 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, the most since June 11. Of those, 135 were in intensive care units, and 44 were on ventilators.

The state also announced another 74 confirmed cases of the more transmissible Delta variant. Illinois now has a total of 565 confirmed Delta cases, which is a 40% increase since Monday.

Vaccine update: As of Friday, IDPH reported a total of 14,610,385 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed statewide, with 13,056,857 vaccines administered.

As of the time this story was published, 6,407,664 of the population of Illinois have been fully vaccinated, or 50.29%. Illinois has a population of 12,741,080 people.

Among Illinois residents 12 and older:

Fully Vaccinated: 6,059,351 (55.9%)

At Least 1 Dose: 7,746,141 (71.5%)

Among Illinois residents 18 and older:

Fully Vaccinated: 5,732,276 (58.2%)

At Least 1 Dose: 7,256,324 (73.6%)

Among Illinois residents 65 and older:

Fully Vaccinated: 1,532,825 (75%)

At Least 1 Dose: 1,857,778 (90.9%)

There can be as much as a 72-hour delay in reporting from healthcare providers on vaccines administered.

In northern Illinois, here is the percentage of the population fully vaccinated by county:

Chicago: 51.20%

Suburban Cook: 54.36%

Lake: 51.31%

McHenry: 49.53%

DuPage: 58.84%

Kane: 49.27%

Will: 49.29%

Kendall: 50.80%

La Salle: 43.95%

Grundy: 42.08%

DeKalb: 42.99%

Ogle: 42.98%

Lee: 46.43%

Whiteside: 42.46%

Bureau: 41.79%

[ Unvaccinated people account for majority of new Illinois COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and infections ]

Regional update: All 11 regions in the state are in Phase 5.

Regional data from the IDPH remains on a three-day lag.

The North Suburban (McHenry and Lake counties) region’s positivity rate stayed flat at 2.2%. Currently, 30% of ICU beds are available.

Within this region, McHenry County’s seven-day positivity rate average decreased to 3.6%. Lake County, which does about two-thirds of the testing in the region, is reporting a rolling average of 1.8%.

Hospitalizations have decreased or remained stable three out of the past 10 days in this region. The region is up to a total of 23 COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

The West Suburban (DuPage and Kane counties) region’s positivity rate increased to 2.8%. Currently, 26% of ICU beds are available.

Within this region, Kane County’s seven-day positivity rate increased to 2.4%, and DuPage County’s increased to 3.0%.

Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable five out of the past 10 days in this region. The region is up to 41 total COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

The South Suburban (Will and Kankakee counties) region’s positivity rate increased to 2.9%. Currently, 25% of ICU beds are available.

Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable four out of the past 10 days in this region. The region is up to 22 total COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

The North (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties) region’s positivity rate increased to 3.3%.

Currently, 18% of ICU beds are available.

Within this region, DeKalb County’s positivity rate increased to 3.0%, Lee County’s rate decreased to 1.1%, and Whiteside County’s went up to 1.6%.

Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable four out of the past 10 days in this region. The region is down to 21 total COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The North-Central (Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford counties) region’s positivity rate increased to 3.0%.

Within this region, La Salle County’s seven-day positivity rate stayed flat at 1.5%. Currently, 31% of ICU beds are available. Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable for one out of the past 10 days. The region is up to a total of 52 COVID-19 patients in the hospital.

Chicago’s positivity rate increased to 1.7%. Currently, 21% of ICU beds are available. Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable for six out of the past 10 days.

Suburban Cook County’s positivity rate increased to 2.2%. Currently, 20% of ICU beds are available. Hospitalizations decreased or remained stable four out of the past 10 days in this region.