While the number of people newly diagnosed with COVID-19 in Brookfield, North Riverside and Riverside remains lower than during last fall’s second spike, new cases are holding steady, with positivity rates creeping upward during the week-long period ending on the morning of March 23.
The Cook County Department of Public Health reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 in Brookfield during that time, the village’s highest one-week total since late January and the third straight week the village’s weekly totals have risen.
According to the online COVID-19 dashboard maintained by the Northwestern University School of Medicine, the positivity rate in Brookfield rose from 2.76 percent on March 15 to 4.77 percent on March 21, with a seven-day rolling positivity rate of 4.64 percent.
Since the pandemic started in March 2020, a total of 1,642 Brookfield residents have contracted COVID-19, according to Cook County. Twelve Brookfield residents have died from the disease, with the last fatality reported Jan. 22.
New cases in Riverside and North Riverside also inched up slightly compared to a week ago, with seven people either confirmed or probable for COVID-19 in Riverside and five in North Riverside.
The 60546 ZIP code, which includes both villages, saw its positivity rate increase from 0.89 percent on March 15 to 2.28 percent on March 21, with a rolling seven-day positivity rate of 2.22 percent.
Four North Riverside residents and three Riverside residents have died as a result of COVID-19 since March 2020. The last fatality in North Riverside was reported Jan. 11, with the most recent Riverside fatality reported on Dec. 17, 2020.
Since March 2020, 845 residents of Riverside and 535 residents of North Riverside have contracted COVID-19, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health, as of the morning of March 23.
