CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO)-- A Chicago emergency room physician is worried about the possibility of another surge in coronavirus after this coming Easter weekend.
The state of Illinois is reporting a rising number of coronavirus cases and more hospitalizations, but the news from Rush University Medical Center is better, according to Dr. Edward Ward, vice chair of emergency medicine at Rush.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at any one time in the Rush health care system is now 30 to 50, he said, a number he characterized as “manageable.”
“What makes me nervous is we’re coming into the Easter weekend,” Ward said Tuesday. “And people have not had the opportunity to go to their religious ceremonies or go and be with their families.
“And I think the concern that most of us have is that people will be filled with this false sense of security and not distance and not wear masks and not wash their hands.”
If people let their guard down, it could lead to another surge in COVID-19 cases, he said.
More than 16% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported 2,404 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus, including 17 additional deaths. The statewide positivity rate was under 4%, which is considered low, but officials have warned there has been an uptick in infections.
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