Experts track rising COVID-19 cases in Chicago using hospitalizations, wastewater
CHICAGO (CBS) – President Joe Biden's positive COVID-19 test got us wondering about COVID trends around Chicago.
CBS 2's Chris Tye dug into the numbers and with so many people testing at home, how accurate the gauges of COVID-19 levels are.
Experts say hospitalizations and wastewater are two of the best ways to gauge transmission levels. Cases are up from spring and compared to last summer around Chicago, but still nowhere close to what we saw with the Omicron wave this past winter.
"We know that cases are slowly rising and we know that it's harder to know the true number of positive cases in our area because of frequent use of self testing," said Hannah Barbian, a genomic epidemiologist from Rush University Medical Center.
Unlike the days of long lines and delayed test results, home kits make tracking virus case numbers trickier for virologists like Barbian, so they look at hospitalizations.
On July 10, there were 0.8 people per 100,000 residents hospitalized in Chicago, a jump from March when there were 0.3 people per 100,000 residents in the hospital. Last winter, that number was 9 people per 100,000 residents.
The city is seeing a higher level of transmission compared with last summer, but it's not quite as high as last winter's surge.
The other way experts track virus spread? Wastewater.
It's been studied for almost a year around here, and the information, Barbian said, has proven reliable.
The numbers are higher than they've been since winter.
As the nation watches the President Joe Biden testing positive for COVID-19, the question becomes: what does the back half of this year look like?
TYE: What will you and I be talking about in the fall and in the winter?
BIBIAN: I don't think it would be unexpected to see a fall or winter wave, or both. But it's unclear what the virus will do.
If you've taken your eye off the COVID-19 story for a while, experts say it's time to make sure getting a third booster shot is on your calendar.
And they recommend that kids under 5 years old get vaccinated.
Though, as with every case, if you have a concern, it's suggested you talk with your physicians about what's best for you and your family.