COVID-19 Dispatch: Omicron surge over but vaccination trends show Harvey not out of the woods, just yet

Masks are now optional in most Illinois settings, including schools. Cook County is reducing days of operation at community-based testing centers because of low demand, officials say. It’s all the markings of public officials who want to learn how to “live with COVID” and move toward a post-pandemic society as cases decline nationwide.

During the Delta and Omicron surges, over 3,000 state and federal medical support staff were deployed across Illinois to overwhelmed hospitals.

“ But as the number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 falls back to pre-surge levels and with federal funding reimbursement for this support ending April 1, the State will draw down its emergency staffing support over the next month and work with our public and private partners as they retake responsibility for their long-term staffing needs,” Governor JB Pritzer said in a news release last month.

There were 7 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in Harvey during the week of February 27 and March 5. That’s down 35% over the past 14 days. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the outlook for Harvey is any good.

Vaccination trends, which County officials tout as the best tool to prevent both the spread of and hospitalization due to COVID-19, significantly lag Cook County and Illinois state.

Of Harvey’s total population, 68% have received 1 dose of vaccine and 48% are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Cook County Department of Public Health. In Cook County, 85% have received 1 dose of vaccine and 65% are fully vaccinated.

There have been 104 total COVID-19 related deaths in Harvey since the pandemic began, according to the Office of the Medical Examiner of Cook County. COVID-19 is causing a low strain on health and hospital settings in Cook County, according to new metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 by the numbers across the state:

– The Illinois State Department of Public Health on Friday reported 8,519 new and confirmed COVID-19 cases across Illinois since March 4. That’s down 19% from March 4, when officials reported 10,462 cases since February 25.

– Of Illinois’ total population, 76% have received 1 dose of vaccine, 67% are fully vaccinated, and 49% are boosted, according to data from the CDC.

– As of Thursday night, there are 676 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 108 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 51 are on ventilators.

– The preliminary state positivity rate between March 4 and March 10 is 1.5%.

– The Omicron variant now accounts for 99% of COVID-19 cases reported.