Coronavirus In Illinois: 2nd Day In A Row With 100,000 COVID-19 Vaccinations; Hospitalizations At Lowest Point Since July
CHICAGO (CBS) -- COVID-19 vaccinations in Illinois have surged the past two days, with more than 100,000 doses administered on Wednesday and Thursday, as the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus fell to the lowest point since the end of July.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 102,670 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered statewide on Thursday, after a record 130,021 vaccinations on Wednesday, which was the first time the state had hit the six-figure mark on a single day. Illinois is averaging 68,988 doses administered per day over the past week, compared to an average of 59,460 the week before.
So far, Illinois has received a total of 3,171,245 doses of vaccines, and has administered 2,543,620 doses statewide. A total of 725,464 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday night, accounting for 5.69% of the state's population.
Meantime, Illinois reported 2,441 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Friday, as well as 55 new deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, the state has reported a total of 1,183,667 cases, including 20,460 deaths.
The state's 7-day average case positivity rate stands at 2.5%, tied for the lowest it's been since July 7. The state's average infection rate has now been below 3% for 12 days in a row, the longest such stretch since late June and early July.
As of Thursday night, 1,393 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Illinois, including 336 in the ICU and 174 on ventilators. The state hasn't seen that few overall hospitalizations since July 31.