COVID-19 In Illinois: Lowest Infection Rate Ever; Fewest Hospitalizations In Two Months
CHICAGO (CBS) -- COVID-19 infections in Illinois continue to fall, as for the second day in a row public health officials reported a record low statewide case positivity rate, as virus hospitalizations also reached their lowest point in more than two months.
Illinois' seven-day average case positivity rate is down to 1.9%, the lowest the state has reported at any point since officials began tracking that statistic in May 2020.
That number climbed past 20% during the first surge of the pandemic last year, before falling to around 2.5% during the summer. Infection rates surged again in the fall, hitting 13.2% on Nov. 13, before gradually dropping to 2.1% in mid-March. The latest rise in cases this spring saw the infection rate inch back up to more than 4% in April, but it has fallen steadily since then.
On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 891 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases, as well as 42 more deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 1,379,279 cases, including 22,718 deaths.
Illinois is averaging 1,056 new cases per day over the past week, down 44% from two weeks ago.
As of Wednesday night, a total of 1,316 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Illinois, the fewest in a single day since March 25. Illinois is averaging 1,395 hospitalizations per day over the past week, down 27% from two weeks ago.
Daily vaccinations have been fluctuating statewide throughout the month of May, after beginning a sharp decline in mid-April. Illinois is averaging 67,485 doses administered per day over the past week, up 2% from one week ago, but down 11% from two weeks ago.
The daily vaccination rate is still far behind the April peak, down 49% from the best vaccination average reported on April 12, when the state was averaging 132,979 doses per day.
A total of 5,175,214 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday night, accounting for 40.62% of the population.