As omicron subvariants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 rise in the Chicago area, Evanston continues to report increases in its COVID-19 positivity rate and case numbers.

The city’s positivity rate is at 2.70%, a 0.39 percentage point increase from last week’s 2.31%. Evanston reported 210 new COVID-19 cases this week, 13 more than last week. This number may be lower than the city’s actual rate because some people may have used at-home tests, whose results may not have been reported publicly, according to a Thursday city newsletter.

As of last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health has stopped tracking daily COVID-19 positivity rates and case counts at the state or county level. Evanston has updated its COVID-19 weekly situation report in accordance, prioritizing hospitalization numbers, though it continues to report case numbers and positivity rates.

Weekly vaccination rates in the city have slightly increased. As of this week, 97.4% of Evanston residents ages five and older are partially vaccinated, while 88.1% of residents are now fully vaccinated, representing a 0.1 percentage point increase.

Cook County and Illinois vaccination rates have been similarly stagnant this week. At the county level, almost 79% of individuals ages five and older have received at least one dose, and the percentage of fully vaccinated individuals slightly increased to 72.3%. In Illinois, 81.3% of individuals ages five and older have received at least one dose, while 72.8% — a slight increase from last week — have received both doses.

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