COVID-19 In Illinois: New One-Day Record For Vaccinations; Infection Rate And Hospitalizations Continue To Fall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois has set a new single-day record for COVID-19 vaccinations, as statewide hospitalizations and the average infection rate hit their lowest points in months.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 152,697 doses were reported administered in Illinois on Friday, the most in one day so far. The state is now averaging 97,758 vaccinations per day over the past week.
Since December, Illinois has now received 5,038,635 does of vaccine, and has administered 3,943,970 doses so far. A total of 1,442,346 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 11.32% of the population.
Meantime, Illinois also reported 1,675 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases on Saturday, as well as 23 more deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, IDPH has reported a total of 1,207,847 cases, including 20,924 deaths.
The statewide seven-day average case positivity rate in Illinois is down to 2.1%, the lowest it's been since June 23. Illinois has now gone 27 days in a row with a case positivity rate below 3%, the longest such stretch of the pandemic.
As of Friday night, 1,082 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Illinois, including 235 in the ICU and 95 on ventilators. It's the first time statewide hospitalizations have dipped below 1,100 since the state started tracking that statistic last April.