The total number of new COVID-19 cases in Evanston was 163 in the week ending August 3, compared with 185 in the week ending July 28, a decrease of 12%. The seven-day average of new cases in the state also decreased by 12%; hospitalizations decreased by 4%.
Cook County, including Chicago, remained at the community’s “high” risk level. City officials say Evanston is at the “medium” risk level.
The number of new cases reported is significantly lower than the actual number of new contracted cases because many new cases are not being reported. [1] Some researchers estimate the actual number of new cases to be between six and ten times the reported number.
New Case Trends in Illinois and Evanston
Illinois: As of August 4, the number of new cases in the state was 4,149.
The seven-day average of new cases in Illinois on Aug. 4 was 4,345, down from 4,962 on July 28, down 12.4%. The graph below shows the trend.
Evanston: Evanston reported that there were 28 new COVID-19 cases from Evanston residents as of August 3. (Evanston is reporting COVID-19 data a day late.)
There were a total of 163 new COVID-19 cases from Evanston residents in the week ending August 3, compared with 185 new cases in the week ending July 28, a decrease of 12%.
The graph below shows the trend.
No Evanstonians died from COVID-19 during the week ending July 28. The death toll due to COVID-19 remains at 155.
Northwest University. The latest data reported on the NU website shows that between 22 and 28 July there were 65 new cases of COVID-19 from faculty, staff or students. Cases from Evanston residents are included in Evanston’s data for the relevant period, Ike Ogbo, director of the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services, told RoundTable. NU will update your data tomorrow.
Cases per 100,000
The weekly number of new cases per 100,000 people in Illinois is 239 for the seven days ending Aug.
As of August 3, the weekly number of new cases per 100,000 people in Evanston is 220. As of August 4, the number is 211 for Chicago and 226 for Suburban Cook County. A graph to the side shows the trend.
hospitalizations
There were 1,416 hospitalizations in Illinois due to COVID-19 as of August 3, compared with 1,476 a week ago.
The chart below, prepared by the City of Evanston, shows trends in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 at the two closest hospitals serving Evanston residents.
Cook County is at the high risk level, Evanston the medium
The CDC and IDPH look at the combination of three metrics to determine whether a community’s risk level for COVID-19 is low, medium, or high. These are: 1) the total number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the last 7 days; 2) the new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 in the last 7 days; and 3) the percentage of hospital beds with staff occupied by patients with COVID-19. [2]
The City of Evanston reported this evening, August 4th, that Evanston is in the medium risk category. IDPH reported today that Cook County, including Chicago, is in the high risk category. Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane and McHenry counties are also in the high risk category.
Although Evanston has over 200 new cases per 100,000 people, the city reported this evening that Evanston has a 7-day total of 5.12 new hospital admissions per 100,000 people and that it has 2.61% of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients. (using an average of 7 days).
The city did not say which hospitals or how many hospitals it is considering for its community risk analysis.
The CDC and IDPH recommend that people in a community with a “high” transmission rate take the following precautions:
- “Wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status (including in K-12 schools and other indoor community settings)
- “If you are immunocompromised or at high risk for serious illness: wear a mask or respirator that offers greater protection; consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you may be exposed; talk to your doctor about whether you need to take other precautions (eg tests); have a plan for rapid testing, if needed (e.g. home testing or testing access); talk to your doctor about whether you are a candidate for treatments such as oral antivirals, PrEP and monoclonal antibodies
- “If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk of serious illness, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact and consider wearing a mask when you are indoors with them.
- “Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters
- “Maintain improved ventilation in all indoor spaces when possible
- “Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19.”
FOOTNOTES
1/The City of Evanston says the state, county, and city do not have a mechanism to report, verify, or track home test results. Because a positive test at home is considered highly accurate, most people who test positive on a test at home do not have a second test outside the home that is reported to government officials. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported by IDPH and the city significantly underestimates the actual number of new cases that are contracted. Some studies estimate that cases are underestimated by 600% or more.
2/ The CDC recommends using three indicators to measure community levels of COVID-19: 1) new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the last 7 days; 2) new hospitalizations for COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 7 days; and 3) the percentage of inpatient beds with staff occupied by patients with confirmed COVID-19 (average of 7 days).
The chart below illustrates how these indicators are combined to determine whether COVID-19 community levels are low, medium, or high. O The CDC provides many recommendations depending on whether the COVID-19 community level is low, medium or high.
