As holidays approach, latest rise in Illinois coronavirus cases ‘could mark the beginning of yet another wave’
CHICAGO — With Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season two weeks away, coronavirus cases are on the rise again in Illinois, even as health officials push to get vaccines into the arms of young children and other unvaccinated residents and those who now qualify for booster shots.
Another 5,044 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were reported by state health officials Wednesday, the most in a single day since Sept. 10. Over the past week, the state has averaged 3,122 cases per day, a 41% increase from the previous week and the highest level since late September, when the late-summer surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant was subsiding.
