Illinois sees new restrictions as U.S. faces third wave of the coronavirus pandemic
States across the U.S. are dealing with a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, while Illinois sees heightened restrictions in certain regions.
By Laaiba Mahmood
As a third wave of the coronavirus sweeps through the nation, Illinois has seen increased restrictions to mitigate its spread. States across the U.S. are seeing high amounts of positive cases of the virus, with the third wave of the virus set to surpass positivity rates of the first two . Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four states had over 30,000 cases of COVID-19 over a seven-day period from Oct. 19 to Oct. 26: California, Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin.
In Illinois, Governor J. B. Pritzker issued increased restrictions on indoor dining, bar service and gatherings for six out of the state’s 11 regions. On Oct. 26, the state’s seven-day average surpassed 4,500 cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
CDC data also shows that the 18-to-29 year old age group has seen the most positive cases of COVID-19, at 1,558,602. Close behind, the 50-to-64 year old age group has had 1,341,356 cases of the coronavirus. A CDC report indicates that young people may be a driving force behind surges in COVID-19 cases among older people.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends frequent hand washing, wearing a mask, cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas, social distancing and covering coughs and sneezes. The Illinois Department of Public Health also recommends getting the flu vaccine in order to prevent co-infection of the two viruses.
