IL COVID Spike: Mask Mandate Likely To Stay Through The Holidays

ILLINOIS — With an uptick in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations hitting Illinois this fall, state health officials said it is unlikely the statewide mask mandate will be lifted before the holidays.

New cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise since mid-October and surged by nearly 20 percent in the last week alone, rising from about 2,215 new cases per day, on average, to a seven-day average of 2,651 new cases per day, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Chicago, cases have spiked even higher, about 22 percent over the last week, which sends the city into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's second-highest tier for community transmission.

On Wednesday alone, health officials confirmed more than 5,000 new cases, the most in a single day since Sept. 10, the Chicago Tribune reported. In the last week, Illinois has averaged more than 3,000 new cases per week, a 41 percent increase from the previous week.

"As we've moved indoors, we haven't taken our masks indoors with us. So a lot of unmasked indoor gatherings are likely part of the problem," Illinois public health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike told WGEM's Mike Miletich. "Of course, COVID is so complicated. It's been throwing us curveball after curveball."

Ezike said she understands that people want to ditch the masks and get back to life as normal, but it's inappropriate to think about going mask free this holiday season.

On Wednesday, Illinois reported 2,245 new cases of COVID-19, and, as of Tuesday, 1,393 patients were hospitalized with the respiratory illness across the state. The seven-day case positivity rate was 2.2 percent, while the test positivity rate was slightly higher at 2.7 percent.

State and federal health officials say the best way to prevent the virus from spreading — and eventually lose those masks — is to get vaccinated.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health adopted federal guidelines recommending Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 5. The dose of the vaccine for children in the 5-11 age group is smaller than an adult dose — 10 micrograms rather than 30, and so are the needles.

Ezike encouraged parents with questions about the vaccine to reach out to their pediatrician or family doctor, urging parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.

"And I'm not letting the adults off the hook either," she said last month. "We know that the more adults get vaccinated, that also provides that protective cocoon to our young people, especially those that are too young to be vaccinated."

Ezike said this week that many of the people currently ending up in hospitals with COVID-19 are young adults who have not been vaccinated.

State and federal health officials say vaccines provide an extra level of protection for children, families and entire communities as the holiday season draws near. And, even with continued mask mandates, the state's top public health official said the upcoming holidays will allow for more social gatherings and family time than last year.

"Although we're still in the pandemic, [the holidays] will look a little different than last year thanks to the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines that are readily available," Ezike said last month. "However, we must still take precautions as not everyone is vaccinated."

Ezike continued, "Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your friends and family, and your community, but it's also important to use a layered approach by wearing a mask indoors and limiting/avoiding settings where physical distancing is not possible to help stop the spread of the virus."

According to state health officials, more than 16 million doses of the vaccines have been administered in Illinois. About 53,000 shots are being put in Illinoisans' arms every week, and to date, 56.9 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated. About 61.6 percent have received at least a first dose.

Those numbers are higher in older age groups, with about 72.7 percent of Illinois' adult population being fully vaccinated and 86.5 percent of those over 65.

But the percentage of vaccinated Illinoisans varies greatly by region. In DuPage, Illinois' most vaccinated county, 66.2 percent of the entire population is vaccinated. In Alexander, the state's least vaccinated county, just 18.5 percent are.

In total, more than 1.7 million cases of the coronavirus have now been confirmed in Illinois, and 26,008 Illinoisans are confirmed to have died from COVID-19. Another 2,893 probable deaths are attributed to the virus.

About 25 more Illinoisans still die from the virus every day, and officials say if case numbers remain as high as they are now, hundreds more won't live to see the holidays.