COVID Spread Is 'Substantial' In McHenry County: CDC

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — With COVID-19 cases again on the rise across the state, McHenry County has been added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of counties currently seeing "substantial" transmission of the virus in its communities.

The CDC is suggesting people in areas of high and substantial transmission where masks indoors — even if they are vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been threatening stricter restrictions for weeks. New mitigations for the state include the state's secretary of state facilities, which are again requiring masks. He did again on Wednesday at an unrelated event in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"You’ve seen how unpredictable this virus can be,” Pritzker said. “Don’t think that just because on some given day we don’t have a mitigation in place that we can’t, as a result of the significant rise in cases, decide that if it’s time for people to put on masks.”

The seven-day rolling average shows 51.99 confirmed cases in McHenry County per 100,000 people, according to the latest CDC data. Areas of substantial transmission have 50 to 99 cases per 100,000 people over a 7-day period. Areas of high transmission are considered to be those with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people.

The positivity rate is currently 4.96 percent in McHenry County and hasn't been this high since late May. New hospital admission for COVID-19 have increased by 100 percent in the past week, according to the CDC.

Other Chicago-area counties with "substantial" community transmission include DuPage and Will counties.

Health officials are continuing to urge residents to get vaccinated to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19.