Lightfoot warns of rising virus cases among young people
Mayor Lori Lightfoot at South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago on July 9, 2020. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot again warned Sunday of rising COVID-19 rates, saying young people are behind the recent uptick.
The first-term Democrat spoke Sunday to CBS’ “Face the Nation,” as the state reported 1,562 new confirmed cases and 18 deaths.
“We’ve just got to break through to young people that they are not immune to this virus,” she said.
Lightfoot added that there has also been an increase among Latinos, which city officials are trying to address by working with community groups.
Overall, Illinois has reported 206,081 confirmed cases and 7,744 deaths since the pandemic began.
On Sunday, the Illinois Department of Public health reported 37,089 tests in the past 24 hours with a seven-day average positive test rate of 4.1%.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and the infirm, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.