Coronavirus In Illinois: 4,000 New COVID-19 Cases, As Positivity Rate And Hospitalizations Continue To Climb
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Public health officials reported 4,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois on Tuesday, as well as 46 additional deaths.
The new cases announced by the Illinois Department of Public Health account for 6.4% of the 62,074 new tests reported on Tuesday. The statewide seven-day average positivity rate also has climbed to 6.4%, the highest it's been since June 2, when the rate was 7%. The state's average positivity rate has jumped 42% in the past two weeks, from 4.5% on Oct. 13.
Illinois has now reported 4,000 or more cases in a day nine times in the past 13 days, and is averaging 4,587 new cases per day over the past week, far higher than during the first wave, when the state averaged 2,497 new cases per day between May 12 and May 18.
While some of the recent increase in new cases can be attributed to a significant increase in testing since the start of the pandemic, the state's positivity rate has been on the rise for three weeks, and hospitalizations from the virus also have been steadily increasing over the past two weeks.
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Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 382,985 coronavirus cases, including 9,568 deaths.
As of Monday night, 2,758 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, the most since June 4, when the state had 2,911 coronavirus hospitalizations.
So far, the vast majority of coronavirus patients in Illinois have recovered from the disease, with a 97% statewide recovery rate as of Tuesday. The state's recovery rate calculates the number of people who have tested positive for the virus, and have survived at least 42 days after their test.
Four regions of Illinois currently are under increased COVID-19 restrictions -- Region 1 in northwestern Illinois, Region 5 in southern Illinois, Region 7 in Will and Kankakee counties, and Region 8 in DuPage and Kane Counties, due to high positivity rates. Additional mitigations also will begin Wednesday for Region 10, in suburban Cook County, and for Region 4, in the Metro East area near St. Louis. The enhanced mitigations include halting indoor service at bars and restaurants; lower limits on gathering sizes; and requiring bars, restaurants, and casinos to close at 11 p.m.