Coronavirus In Illinois: 1,624 New COVID-19 Cases, Most Since Late May
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois reported its highest one-day tally of COVID-19 cases in nearly two months on Thursday, as state officials reported more than 1,600 new cases in the past day.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,624 new cases of the virus on Thursday, including 20 additional deaths. It's the largest daily total of COVID-19 cases since IDPH reported 1,713 cases on May 25. It's also the second day in a row Illinois has set a record for new cases in July.
The rise in COVID-19 cases came as IDPH also reported 39,706 virus tests in the past 24 hours, for a positive test rate of 4.1%. The seven-day average statewide positivity rate for July 16-22 is 3.4%; compared to 3.1% one week ago, and 2.6% two weeks ago.
Illinois has reported a total of 166,925 coronavirus cases, and 7,367 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
As of Wednesday night, 1,473 virus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 309 in intensive care, and 135 on ventilators. The state's COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have been relatively flat since late June.
So far, the vast majority of COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease, with a 95% statewide recovery rate as of Thursday. 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.