Coronavirus In Illinois: 3,059 New COVID-19 Cases; 32 More Deaths; 7-Day Average Positivity Rate At 3.7%
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Public health officials reported 3,059 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, as well as 32 more coronavirus deaths.
The new cases announced by the Illinois Department of Public Health make up 4.2% of the 72,491 new tests reported on Thursday. The statewide seven-day average positivity rate for Illinois stands at 3.7%, down from 4% one month ago, and as high as 18% during the height of the pandemic in May.
It marks only the second time since May 14 that Illinois has reported more than 3,000 cases in one day. On Sept. 4, the state reported 5,368 confirmed cases after clearing a major backlog of test results. However, the state has also significantly increased its testing ability in the past month. During the first eight days of September, Illinois averaged 51,819 tests per day; for the first eight days of October, the state has averaged 60,120 tests per day.
Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 310,700 coronavirus cases, including 8,910 deaths.
As of Wednesday night, 1,755 coronavirus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 392 in intensive care, and 163 on ventilators.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IDPH is now reporting separately both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website. Reporting probable cases will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions. IDPH will update these data once a week.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.