Hospital Beds Filling Up In Lake, McHenry Counties: IDPH

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — The coronavirus positivity rate is again nearing the 8 percent threshold in McHenry County, which state health officials have used as one indicator of a potential resurgence of the virus in the area.

McHenry County currently has a much higher positivity rate than Lake, which has historically been the case during the pandemic. The 7-day rolling average for the positivity rate in Region 9 was 6.2 percent as of Friday, while McHenry County was at 7.9 percent and Lake at 5.7 percent.

In McHenry County, transmission has been increasing across all age groups and communities throughout the county, according to Susan Karras, public health nursing director for the McHenry County Department of Health.

"There is no difference in age group trends, everybody is increasing no matter what your age," Karras said during a Monday board of health meeting. "But we are seeing higher rates of spread in the 15 to 19 and 20 to 29 years old, that hasn't really changed."

In addition, hospitalizations in Region 9, which includes Lake and McHenry counties, have steadily been on the rise, and intensive care unit beds are filling up — two additional indicators the Illinois Department of Public Health has used in the past to determine if more mitigations are needed.

The ICU bed availability is at 22 percent, according to public health data. ICU bed availability under 20 percent is cause for concern, state health officials say. In McHenry County, capacity for ICU beds is good, but medical and surgical bed availability is down, Karras said.

"We are in the red zone for that," she added.

Vaccinations have increased for school-aged children who are eligible — currently anyone over the age of 12 — but the 20- to 29-year-old population remains "hard to reach," Karras said.

"I think they think they are invincible, and they are like, 'whatever.' So we are really struggling to reach that population and get them vaccinated," Karras said. She hopes colleges and universities will help reach students returning for school in the fall and encourage them to get their shots.

The delta variant continues to be on the rise, but Karras noted it's not clear how the state is collecting data or determining who to test for the variant. She said not everyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is tested for the variants.

"We do know it is circulating and highly contagious," she said. "We are assuming it will soon be the dominant variant in the county."

Across the state, health officials say they are seeing an increase in hospitalizations for young people.

"There's a vast increase in the number of people who are going into the hospital, who are in the age bracket of everybody under 30 all the way down to those who are unable to get vaccinated today who are those under 12," Pritzker said during an event last week.

"We have been going out and doing vaccine clinics in that area, and we are making progress. It is improving, but they still remain low," Karras said.

As far as breakthrough cases, there have been 39 hospitalizations among those who've been fully vaccinated in McHenry County since January and fewer than 10 deaths.

In the past 30 days, the only reported outbreak in Region 9 has been at a camp, according to state health department data released Friday. Local health departments investigate outbreaks by identifying clusters from individual case investigations and the information is based on reported locations visited during their 14-day exposure period, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

An outbreak is defined as five or more cases that are linked to a common location during a 14-day period.

• COVID-19 Outbreak Reported At Camp In Region 9: IDPH

Amid the rising cases, fueled in part by the highly-contagious delta variant, some businesses, government agencies and colleges have brought back mask requirements. In addition, Gov. J.B. Pritzker mandated masks for all kindergarten through 12th grade students at public schools.

Village officials in Lake in the Hills announced Friday masks would again be required at all village-run facilities after two vaccinated employees tested positive for the virus, and the College of McHenry County has mandated masks for its students in recent days.

• Masks Again Required At LITH Village Hall, Village Facilities
• 27 COVID Cases At McHenry Co. Jail Since May

Masks in schools continue to be a contentious topic in area communities. Several demonstrators gathered in Crystal Lake on Saturday to protest Illinois’ mask mandate for students, with one protester’s sign reading “stop putting muzzles on our kids.”

The protest occurred Saturday afternoon on the corner of Route 14 and Main Street in Crystal Lake.

“Free their faces, hearts and minds! They are our future! What are we teaching them?! Masks are child abuse!” one man’s sign said.

• Protesters Rally To Nix Masks In Schools

Since mid-July, vaccination rates have been on the rise in Lake and McHenry counties. In Lake County, the seven-day rolling average for vaccines was around 1,000 people per day in July and now is around 2,500 per day. In McHenry, the 7-day rolling average was around 575 in mid-July and now is over 800.

Currently, 53 percent of the population is vaccinated in McHenry County, and 55 percent are fully vaccinated in Lake County, according to state data. In McHenry County, when looking only at those over the age of 12, 61 percent have received the vaccine.

Rural portions of the county, in particular the western and northern portions of McHenry County, have the lowest vaccination rate, Karras said. The Hispanic population, a once tough population for health officials to reach, has seen an increase in vaccination rates.

The McHenry County Department of health is now offering to partner with businesses or organizations to offer a vaccine clinic. A minimum of 10 people must sign up to make the clinic possible, and the business or organization must set up a space that is large enough to accommodate the clinic.

"Once a clinic is confirmed, it will be up to the business or organization to notify employees, community members, or specific populations of the clinic. If the clinic is open to the community, MCDH can assist with promotion of the clinic," according to the county health department's website.

Information on how to request a clinic can be found online.

Some schools and the state have offered some incentives for those who get the vaccine.

The College of Lake County is doling out $100 checks to students who show proof of vaccination, and Six Flags Great America donated thousands of free tickets to health departments to give out at clinics to newly vaccinated residents.

"We really want to focus on moving forward ... and it's why we are making this commitment," Hank Salemi, park president at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, said during a May press conference where he announced the donation of 50,000 free tickets.

• CLC Doles Out $100 Checks To Vaccinated Students
• Six Flags Donates 50K Free Tickets To Those Who Get Vaccine