Chicago Coronavirus Hospitalizations Drop For 1st Time In 7 Weeks

Jonah Meadows
Updated ·8 min read

CHICAGO — Coronavirus positivity rates declined in every part of Illinois during the fourth week of November.

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus increased in seven of the state's 11 COVID-19 resurgence mitigation regions — even as the overall number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide decreased, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Chicago, average coronavirus test positivity fell to 12.7 percent Tuesday, the most recent day where data is available. The rolling average dropped by 2.3 percentage points over the prior week.

But the number of people in the city's hospitals with COVID-19 increased by more than 125 for the week ending Thursday — the first day since Oct. 6 where the city's average number of coronavirus patients declined — to a seven-day rolling average of 1,282.

Statewide, there were 5,829 people in Illinois reported to be hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday night, a decline of 282 compared to a week earlier. Among them, there were 1,215 people in intensive care units and 698 people on ventilators — 94 more people attached to breathing machines and 19 more people in the state's ICUs as a week ago.

While positivity rates can indicate the prevalence of coronavirus in a community at a given point in time, hospitalizations are a lagging indicator of new infections. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, patients may develop severe cases of COVID-19 more than a week after the initial infection.

The seven-day average for statewide case positivity stood at 10.1 percent with test positivity at 12.2 percent Friday, the public health department reported. The prior week, the state had a case positivity rate of 11.5 percent and a test positivity rate of 13.4 percent. Test positivity, which can include multiple positive results for the same case, is used in the state's regional metrics.

Every region of Illinois has been subject to "Tier 3" coronavirus restrictions since Nov. 20. In order for them to be lifted in a particular region, it must meet a trio of benchmarks over 14-day monitoring periods, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration.

Average test positivity rate must be below 12 percent for three consecutive days, hospital bed availability must remain above 20 percent for three days in a row and the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital must decline on seven of the past 10 days.

Five regions meet the hospital bed availability threshold. Regions 1 and 9 have reported seven or more days of declining numbers of coronavirus patients. But only one region, Region 3, has reduced its test positivity rate below 12 percent.

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Positivity data through Tuesday and hospitalization averages through Thursday were released Friday. Find the latest metrics from all regions below:

Region 1 (Rockford EMS region)

  • Positivity: 15.2 percent on Nov. 24, down from 19 percent a week earlier

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 270 on Nov. 26, down from 289 a week earlier and declining on nine of the past 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 24.1 percent for surgical beds and 25.1 percent for ICU beds, down about 5 percentage points over the past seven days.

Region 2 (Peoria EMS region)

  • Positivity: 13.7 percent on Nov. 24, down from 16.6 percent the prior week

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 509 on Nov. 26, up from 474 a week earlier and rising on eight of the past 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 24 percent for surgical beds and 19.5 percent for ICU beds, compared to more than 30 percent of each a week earlier

Region 3 (Springfield EMS region)

  • Positivity: 11.9 percent on Nov. 24, falling from 16.1 percent during the prior week to dip below the 12 percent threshold for the first time since October.

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 342 on Nov. 26, up from 311 a week earlier. The average rose on nine of the prior 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 26.9 percent for surgical beds and 14.8 percent for ICU beds, 3 percentage points fewer surgical beds and nearly 7 points fewer available ICU beds than a week earlier. Average ICU bed availability has remained below the 20 percent threshold for six consecutive days.

Region 4 (Edwardsville EMS region)

  • Positivity: 13.6 percent on Nov. 24, down from 16.1 percent the prior week to fall below the 12 percent threshold for the first time since October.

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 233 on Nov. 26, up from 204 a week earlier and rising on eight of the prior 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 13.4 percent for surgical beds and 16.9 percent for ICU beds, compared to 14.9 percent of surgical beds and 22.4 percent of ICU beds a week earlier. Surgical bed availability has remained below the 20 percent threshold for 10 consecutive days, while average ICU bed availability has been below the threshold for four days.

Region 5 (Marion EMS region)

  • Positivity: 12.6 percent on Nov. 24, down from 13.2 percent during the prior week

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 171 on Nov. 26, up from 131 a week earlier. It rose on each of the prior 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 33.3 percent for surgical beds and 13.7 percent for ICU beds, down from 43.5 percent of surgical beds and 35 percent of beds in the region's ICUs during the past week.

Region 6 (Champaign EMS region)

  • Positivity: 12.1 percent on Nov. 24, down from 14.6 percent during the prior week

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 251 on Nov. 26, down from 268 a week earlier. It had declined on six of the previous 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 29.4 percent for surgical beds and 31 percent for ICU beds, compared to 29.1 percent of surgical beds and 33.3 percent of ICU beds a week earlier.

Region 7 (Will, Kankakee counties)

  • Positivity: 17.2 percent on Nov. 24, down from from 20.6 percent a week earlier

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 369 on Nov. 26, up from 351 a week earlier. It rose on seven of the previous 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 19.9 percent for surgical beds and 21 percent for ICU beds, compared to 10.8 percent of surgical beds and 14.2 percent of ICU beds the prior week.

Region 8 (Kane, DuPage counties)

  • Positivity: 13.7 percent on Nov. 24, down from 14.6 percent during the prior week

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 691 on Nov. 26, down from 700 a week earlier. The average increased on six of the past 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 20.1 percent for both surgical beds and ICU beds, compared to 18.5 percent of surgical beds and 26.4 percent of ICU beds a week earlier.

Region 9 (Lake, McHenry counties)

  • Positivity: 12.7 percent on Nov. 24, down from 15.4 percent a week earlier

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 342 on Nov. 26, down from 370 a week earlier and declining on seven of the prior 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 21.9 percent for surgical beds and 25.5 percent for ICU beds, compared to 23 percent of surgical beds and 35.3 percent of ICU beds the prior week.

Region 10 (Suburban Cook County)

  • Positivity: 13.3 percent on Nov. 24, down from 15.5 percent a week earlier

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 1,617 on Nov. 26, up from from 1,527 a week earlier. The rounded rolling average rose on eight of the past 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 22.7 percent for surgical beds and 19.5 percent for ICU beds, compared to 22.3 percent of surgical beds and 21.7 percent of ICU beds a week earlier.

Region 11 (Chicago)

  • Positivity: 12.7 percent on Nov. 24, down from 15 percent a week earlier

  • Hospitalizations: The seven-day rolling average number of COVID-19 patients in the region's hospitals was 1,282 on Nov. 26, up from 1,156 a week earlier and rising on nine of the prior 10 days.

  • Bed Availability: The three-day rolling average availability was 22.2 percent for surgical beds and 21.6 percent for ICU beds, compared to 22.9 percent of surgical beds and 26.7 percent of ICU beds a week earlier.

This article originally appeared on the Chicago Patch