“It’s really important that everyone in Illinois knows what to do whether (community transmission) is low, medium or high,” said Dr. Amaal Tokars, acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“It’s really important that everyone in Illinois knows what to do whether is low, medium or high,” said Dr. Amaal Tokars, acting director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, in a Tuesday afternoon press briefing.
Residents living in communities with medium levels of transmission, defined as 10-19.9 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population and 10-14.9% of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients based on a seven-day average, should take additional precautions on top of staying up to date with vaccinations and boosters.
Currently, four southern Illinois counties – Gallatin, Saline, Pope and Hardin – are experiencing high levels of transmission, defined as more than 20 new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 and 15% or more of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients based on a seven-day average. While Illinois is “starting to see a steady increase in cases,” officials are not currently considering reinstating the mask mandate as Philadelphia plans to do to head off a rise in cases there, according to Tokars. “We are not discussing a mandate at this time, but we don’t know what the future will be,” she said. “However, I would never say that nothing is possible. We are going to do what is wisest and best.
Last month, the CDC announced it will be relying on the total number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days, new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 in the past seven days, and the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.