COOK COUNTY, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There are no new mandates from the Cook County government, but suburban officials urge residents to limit their activities as COVID-19 and the Omicron variant surge.
Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni Arunkamar said more than 12,000 County residents have died from the Coronavirus to date and 186 people died of COVID-19 in the last week alone.
"That's the highest death rate we have seen since mid-January and we are alarmed," she said.
Dr. Kiran Joshi, co-lead of the Cook County Department of Health, stopped short of calling for new restrictions, but said he’s encouraged by reports that some holiday gatherings are being cancelled.
"I strongly discourage any large gathering," he emphasized. "This is not the time for office holiday parties and I'm also thinking ahead about New Year's Eve parties."
Health officials said the hospital system is already strained. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the good news is that 78 percent of suburban residents have gotten at least one vaccine shot against COVID-19. The bad news is that more than half the people have failed to get even a second COVID shot, let along gotten a booster.
Israel Rocha, CEO of Cook County’s Health and Hospitals System, is joining other health officials in urging residents to get fully vaccinated and avoid large gatherings if possible this holiday season.
He said the County is investigating possible restrictions if the surge hits hard, but none were announced at this update.
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