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Chicago and Cook County are once again at a medium COVID-19 threat level, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced Friday.

Both the city and county had been at low threat since late September. However, Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady predicted in recent weeks that the area’s risk level would rise.

With Thanksgiving near and viruses expected to circulate during winter, the worsened local state of the coronavirus’ spread is a reminder to get vaccinated, she said in a Friday news release.

“I worry about that increased circulation of COVID-19 and flu, and especially the possibility of severe outcomes for those who remain unvaccinated or not up to date,” Arwady said.

New COVID-19 cases and virus-related hospital admissions have increased in Chicago and Cook County since a mid-October drop, health department data shows. The city is now seeing 107 new laboratory-confirmed cases and 7.1 new hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the health department.

Cook County is experiencing a slightly higher 113 new cases and 10.3 hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the last seven days, the officials said. Threat level is determined using metrics calculated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that also measure hospital bed occupancy.

Chicago is averaging 0.43 COVID-19 deaths per day over the last week, health department data shows.

Everyone age 5 and up is eligible for the new, updated COVID-19 vaccine, which is thought to generate a stronger immune response against current and future variants, the health department said in its news release. But only 13% of Chicagoans 5 and older have gotten the shot.

“For most Chicagoans, if you haven’t had a COVID vaccine since Labor Day, you’re not up to date and not protected enough against COVID heading into winter,” Arwady said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have already had boosters. This is a different vaccine,” she said. “Vaccines remain the single best thing we can all do to protect our families and communities.”

The health department recommends that people wear face masks in indoor public settings where vaccine status isn’t known during the medium threat level.

Across the country, 76% of American counties remained at low threat level, while 21% are experiencing medium COVID-19 threat, officials said.

Six counties across northeastern Illinois are at a medium COVID-19 threat level, including Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Lake, McHenry, and Will, according to the CDC.

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