SPRINGFIELD (WSIL) � Large gatherings and travel outside the state are being cited as reasons for COVID-19 outbreaks in four Illinois counties.
On Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said the four counties are now at the "warning level" for novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19.
Those counties are Adams, LaSalle, Peoria and Randolph.
According to IDPH, the outbreaks were in part due to:
Adams County: larger social events, health care exposure, travel to hotspots including those in neighboring Missouri and Iowa, places of worship, and youth sports.
LaSalle County: large family and social gatherings, increase in cases among people younger than 29 years, younger people visiting bars and attending larger social events, and inconsistencies with masking requirements.
Peoria County: increases in cases among people younger than 29 years, large gatherings including 4th of July parties, and people traveling to Florida, Iowa, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Randolph County: congregate settings, numerous bars not complying with distancing and masking, a large party with more than 200 people, and among households.
State health officials say there are several factors when deciding if a county has stable COVID-19 activity or if there are warning signs of increased risk.
- New cases per 100,000 people. If there are 50 or more new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
- Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
- Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
- ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
- Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
- Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
- Tests perform. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
- Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
A map and information on each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at .
On Friday, IDPH announced 1,532 new cases of COVID-19, including 19 additional confirmed deaths.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 168,457 cases, including 7,385 deaths, in Illinois.
