Cook County Exceeds 14,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Medical Examiner confirms grim milestone amid surge of cases
Just over two weeks after confirming 13,000 COVID-19 deaths in Cook County, the Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) marked another grim pandemic milestone today. The MEO confirmed the County’s 14,000th death due to COVID-19 infection this morning.
The Office noted that six weeks passed between the County’s 12,000th and 13,000th COVID-19 deaths and more than three and a half months passed between the County’s 11,000th and 12,000th COVID-19 death. The latest milestone comes during the third surge in COVID-19 cases across the County and the nation. The Office confirmed 425 COVID-19 deaths for the week of January 10. Those are the highest totals the MEO has seen since November of 2020, months before the COVID-19 vaccine was widely available to residents.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,750 COVID-19 deaths have occurred in the City of Chicago, accounting for approximately 48% of deaths throughout Cook County. Males account for 57% of the County’s COVID-19 deaths.
The following chart shows the breakdown by race and ethnicity for all the County’s COVID-19 deaths.
| Race/Ethnicity | % of Deaths |
| White (non-Latino) | 43.5% |
| Black (non-Latino) | 30% |
| Latino | 20% |
| Asian | 3.7% |
| Native American | <1% |
| Other/Unknown | 2.2% |
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 |
| 0-9 | <1% |
| 10-19 | <1% |
| 20-29 | <1% |
| 30-39 | 2% |
| 40-49 | 4.6% |
| 50-59 | 10% |
| 60-69 | 20% |
| 70-79 | 25% |
| 80+ | 37% |
Cook County has reopened mass vaccination sites to provide COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for residents. All Cook County residents 5 years or older are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines are free, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Find a vaccine location in Cook County by visiting www.MyShotCookCounty.com/locations.
For data regarding COVID-19 deaths in Cook County, visit maps.cookcountyil.gov/medexamcovid19/.