COVID-19 Surge: Region 9 Cases Continue To Tick Up
MCHENRY AND LAKE COUNTIES, IL — Coronavirus statistics in Region 9 are trending toward new restrictions after a surge of new cases over the past few weeks, according to public health data.
The positivity rate in Region 8 — made up of Lake and McHenry counties — hit 7.5 percent Saturday and climbed to 7.7 percent Sunday, according to IDPH statistics. The rise in cases could trigger new restrictions if the positivity rate tips and remains above 8 percent for three days.
The Illinois Department of Public Health can also impose new restrictions could if the positivity rate grows alongside increases in hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
If the region continues to rise by .2 percent per day, which has been the case in recent days, it could see new mitigations by early next week. Typically, those restrictions include indoor service at bars and restaurants shutting down and a 25-person limit at gatherings.
The positivity rate in Region 9 was just 5.5 percent two weeks ago, and McHenry County COVID-19 cases have been spiking much faster than Lake County cases. The latest data shows the positivity rate jumped three percentage points — from 9.5 to 12.5 percent — in just four days in McHenry County.
In Lake County, the positivity rate was more than six percentage points lower at 6.2 percent on Sunday.
In addition, Region 9 has seen nine days of positivity increases in the past 10 days and hospital admissions have been on the rise four of those days. Intensive care unit beds remained readily available, according to IDPH standards. The region had 51 percent of its beds available as of Sunday, which is well above IDPH's 21 percent threshold.
For the counties where additional mitigations are added, restrictions can be lifted when the region records positivity rates under 6.5 percent for three days in a row. And public health officials can add more restrictions if the regional positivity rate remains above 8 percent for 14 days in a row.
Region 8, which includes Kane and DuPage counties, and Region 7, Will and Kankakee counties, will see new restrictions begin Friday after both regions saw a positivity rate over 8 percent for three days in a row.
Several Region 9 Schools Return to Remote Learning
Amid a spike in cases in Region 9, Lake County health officials Tuesday urged school districts to reconsider a move to hybrid learning and instead continue in, or return to, a remote learning plan. Several districts, including Community Consolidated Unit School District 46 in Grayslake, Community High School District 128, and District 112 in Highland Park have enacted plans to keep students at home.
Meanwhile, an outbreak at Lundahl Middle School in Crystal Lake led to the school closing and reverting to e-learning. The same happened at Prairie Ridge High School after health officials launched an investigation into cases there.
Meanwhile, some McHenry County schools, including District 158 and District 300 schools, returned its students to in-person instruction under a hybrid plan. The McHenry County Department of Health has not given the same guidance as the Lake County Health Department by instructing school officials to return to remote learning.
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This article originally appeared on the Crystal Lake-Cary Patch
