Chicago Top Doc 'Worried' As Coronavirus Cases Spike Citywide

CHICAGO — City public health commissioner on Tuesday warned that coronavirus cases are on the rise even as vaccine supply improves.

For the last several weeks the city's average number of daily cases has hovered near 280. As of Tuesday, Chicago averaged about 350 cases per day. The threat of community spread is considered high risk when the average daily number of cases tops 400, Arwady said.

Coronavirus-related emergency room visits also have increased over the last week.

The city's coronavirus test positivity rate also increased from a low of 2.7 percent two weeks ago to 3.2 percent on Tuesday.

“I will tell you, we are worried about this,” Arwady said during a Facebook Live appearance Tuesday.

Over the last two weeks, COVID-19 cases have spiked 30 percent — fueled by a 23-percent increase in cases citywide in the last week, particularly among adults 40 and under, Dr. Allison Arwady said.

The spike among younger Chicagoans mirrors the trend public health officials identified before coronavirus cases severely spiked in October, Arwady said.

"The biggest thing driving this is increases in cases in our young adults. I want to highlight that these sort of increases are just what we were seeing in October as we were starting to see the beginnings of what became our huge surge. It was really these same cases in young adults that started this."

The city's public health data also shows an increase in coronavirus clusters and outbreaks among young adults related to sports. In the last week, city public health officials have investigated seven different sports-related clusters outbreaks ranging from four to 17 cases in high school, college and adult sports recreational leagues.

"We've had two football outbreaks, two basketball outbreaks, a swimming outbreak, a hockey outbreak, a softball outbreak," Arwady said. "This is not about the sport. This is about the fact that people are getting their lives back, which we love."

Arwady urged people to wear masks, particularly when gathering off the field, and college social events — including gatherings to watch Loyola's men's basketball team play in the NCAA March Madness tournament.

"I'm excited about Loyola. Let me remind you, Sister Jean is in the stands fully vaccinated, two-weeks post and wearing a mask. Some of that good COVID behavior is perhaps what is driving Loyola's success," Arwady said. "Please remember that if you are celebrating March Madness."

Arwady's warnings came a day after Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a news conference the city will step back recently loosened social distance restrictions and "close back down if we are not diligent."

Arwady said she expects the city will be in good shape by summer. But her immediate concern is that a severe spike in cases over the next four to eight weeks would return the city to a state of high-risk community spread of COVID-19, and strict social distance restrictions.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.