The looming threat of contracting COVID-19 is causing consternation for the second Christmas season in a row. With the vaccine and booster shots now readily available for those eligible to receive it, the number of positive cases is anything but positive as the world now has to contend with the Omicron variant. Cases of the virus are mounting in River Forest and Oak Park.
On Dec. 15, the county reported 32 new positive cases the prior week in River Forest and 1,175 cases cumulatively since the pandemic began in March 2020. According to the county, River Forest’s recent percent change in new cases – which measures case number during the most recent two weeks against the prior two weeks – is up 131 percent.
However, no deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in River Forest since Jan. 6, 2021. The village has recorded just three COVID-19 fatalities total.
The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) also reports that vaccination rates are high in River Forest, with 70 percent of residents fully vaccinated and more than 90 percent having had at least one dose. The number of people who have received a booster shot is not included in the available CCPHD vaccination data.Â
Oak Park has its own health department and does not fall under the purview of county’s health department, but the Oak Park Public Health Department, which releases its updated COVID-19 data each Wednesday, announced on Dec. 15 that 123 new positive cases had been reported for the prior week.
A total of 42,255 Oak Park residents have been fully vaccinated while 46,423 Oak Park residents have had at least one dose also as of Dec. 15. The Oak Park Public Health Department does not include booster shot information in its vaccination data.
The COVID -19 positivity rate for River Forest is also on the rise. As of Dec. 20, the village’s seven-day rolling positivity rate was 6.34 percent, according to the Northwestern University School of Medicine’s online COVID-19 dashboard.
Meanwhile, Oak Park’s seven-day rolling positivity rate on Dec. 20 was 3.38 percent, also according to the Northwestern University dashboard, which utilizes data from the Illinois Public Health Department.