Skyrocketing COVID cases in Michigan are triggering alarm bells in Illinois.
New infections in Michigan surged to 6,500 per day from 1,100 between March 1 and April 10, making it the nation's hotspot. Illinois is heading in the same direction, with case counts and hospitalizations rising again after months of decline. Like Michigan, Illinois also has seen a trend of increasing infections among younger residents.
Exponential spread like Michigan has seen “is absolutely possible” in Illinois, said Dr. Emily Landon, executive medical director for infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medicine. It’s more isolated here, but it’s already happening in certain communities, Landon said, referring to case counts rising in North Side Chicago neighborhoods and in Illinois counties like Peoria.