Cook County Exceeds 10,000 COVID-19 Deaths
The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the County’s 10,000th death due to COVID-19 infection this morning, just over a year after the virus claimed its first victim here.
“We mourn with the 10,000 families in our community who’ve experienced such great loss over the course of the last year,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “While there is light at the end of the tunnel, this is a sobering reminder that the virus is still with us and that we must continue to remain vigilant until we’ve achieved herd immunity.”
More than half of the County’s COVID-19 deaths were in communities of color.
Race/Ethnicity | % of Deaths |
White (non-Latino) | 44% |
Black (non-Latino) | 27% |
Latino | 22% |
Asian | 4% |
Native American | <1% |
Other/Unknown | 2% |
Males accounted for 57% and females accounted for 43% of the deaths. More than 80% of the deaths occurred in individuals over the age of 60. The oldest Cook County COVID-19 death was 109 years old. The youngest was 9 months old.
Age | % of Deaths |
0 – 20 | <1% |
21 – 30 | <1% |
31 – 40 | <2% |
41 – 50 | 4% |
51 – 60 | 10% |
61 – 70 | 21% |
71 – 80 | 26% |
81 – 90 | 25% |
91 – 100 | 11% |
>100 | <1% |
“While most of the deaths we have seen were in our elderly community, the virus still took from us hundreds of younger residents,” said Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, chief Medical Examiner for Cook County. “We must continue to take precautions while vaccinations are underway.”
###