CHICAGO (WMBD)– The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that the CDC is reporting six counties in Illinois are at Medium Community Level.

This is compared to 14 the previous week. The six counties are all in northern Illinois.

“It is great to see COVID-19 community levels remaining low as we enjoy some warmer springtime weather,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “While President Joe Biden signed a measure to end the national emergency this week, IDPH remains focused on reducing the spread of COVID-19 across Illinois. With the public health emergency and statewide disaster declaration remaining in place until May 11, IDPH is actively working with our local and federal partners to transition our operations and programs for the new normal.”

As of Thursday, 568 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 61 patients were in the ICU and 21 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 45 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.

IDPH stated that vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov. The federal government has established a new website that provides an all-purpose toolkit with information on how to obtain masks, treatment, vaccines and testing resources for all areas of the country at: https://www.covid.gov/.