Coronavirus In Illinois: State Surpasses 15,000 Deaths, But Positive Trends Continue For Other Virus Metrics
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois reached another bleak milestone in the pandemic on Friday, surpassing 15,000 coronavirus deaths so far, although other key metrics continued recent downward trends.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 7,377 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, as well as 181 additional deaths, the seventh most deaths reported in a single day. Over the past week, Illinois is averaging 138 deaths per day, compared to 111 per day during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in mid-May.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Illinois Department of Public Health has reported a total of 886,805 coronavirus cases, including 15,015 deaths.
While deaths from COVID-19 are still higher than during the first wave of the pandemic, the state's other key virus metrics have been improving in recent weeks, following a second surge that began in early October.
As of Friday, the state's seven-day average case positivity rate stands at 8.0%, the lowest it's been since Nov. 1. The state's positivity rate has been steadily declining over the past month, after reaching as high as 13.2% on Nov. 13. However it's still more than double the 3.5% positivity rate reported at the start of October.
Hospitalizations from the virus also have been trending downward for more than a month. As of Thursday night, 4,690 coronavirus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 1,023 in the ICU and 589 on ventilators.
While hospitalizations have dropped significantly since peaking at 6,175 on Nov. 20, there are still far more COVID-19 patients in the hospital in mid-December than at the start of the fall surge in early October.
Illinois is averaging 4,896 coronavirus hospitalizations per day over the last week, more than triple the average of about 1,500 per day at the start of October. During the first wave of the pandemic, the state peaked at an average of 4,822 hospitalizations per day in early May.
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