Coronavirus Cases In Oak Forest: Where We Are, Moving Forward

OAK FOREST, IL — Coronavirus restrictions have been upon us for a year and cases continue to fluctuate here in Illinois. As we enter March, many are full of optimism, and a light at the end of the tunnel may be starting to appear.

Vaccine administration has picked up speed over the past seven days, according to statistics from the Cook County Department of Public Health. Last updated on Feb. 24, at least 272,201 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Cook County, and 89,076 have completed the vaccine series. A total of 12 percent of Cook County's population has gotten the first dose and 3.9% have gotten both shots.

Oak Forest's COVID-19 cases continue to go down, according to the CCDPH. As of Feb. 20, the city has had a total of 2,623 cases. The department states 24 cases in the town were confirmed between Feb. 13 and Feb. 20. During this time frame, cases have decreased by 27%, according to the department.

Across suburban Cook County, the positivity rate and the rate of hospital admissions has also decreased. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that there are 962 people across Illinois in the hospital for COVID-19 or are under investigation. About 6% of hospital beds are being occupied by these patients and 303 of these patients are in the ICU, as of Feb. 27.

Illinois occupies a total of 5,675 ventilators and 1,228 ventilators are in use as of Feb. 27. The IDPH reports 3% of ventilators are being used by COVID patients, and 78% of the state's ventilators are available.

Johns Hopkins University and Medicine reports there have been a total of 114,240,823 COVID-19 cases around the world— as of March 1. Over 28 million of those cases are here in the United States. On Feb. 1, over 26 million cases have been reported in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.