Sangamon, Menard, Logan counties at 'high' COVID-19 risk level as cases increase
Three central Illinois counties have been elevated to the "high" community level for COVID-19 risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, following an increase in hospitalizations and cases.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that four new counties in Illinois had been added to the CDC's highest risk factor for COVID-19 infection--Sangamon, Menard, Logan, and McLean counties. Each county had more than 200 cases and 10 hospitalizations per 100,000 people, according to the CDC.
Despite the increase, the rate of people in the hospital remains low, as Sangamon, Menard and Logan counties had 2.8% of staffed inpatient beds filled with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
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While non-binding, the CDC recommends that people in counties with high COVID community levels wear well-fitting masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status and take extra precautions to protect those who are immunocompromised or at high risk. People are also recommended to get vaccinated and boosted if they haven't already and to follow CDC recommendations for quarantine if they test positive for COVID.
Amaal Tokars, IDPH's acting director, said that it would be "wise" for people to wear masks indoors and to avoid crowds in public, if possible.
"We should all be paying attention to the transmission levels and taking steps to ensure that we are up-to-date on vaccinations and boosters," Tokars said. "At this time, we are all wise to put on our masks in indoor public spaces and avoid indoor crowded spaces as much as possible.
"If you test positive, promptly contact a healthcare provider to discuss which treatment is right for you. The treatments are much more effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths when they are taken early in the course of the illness."
This story will be updated.
Contact Zach Roth: (217) 899-4338; ZDRoth@gannett.com; @ZacharyRoth13
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sangamon County at 'high' COVID-19 risk level as cases increase
