Coronavirus In Illinois: 1,257 New COVID-19 Cases, 25 Additional Deaths; State Sets New Testing Record
CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the fifth time in the past eight days, Illinois is reporting more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus, although the recent rise in cases can be attributed at least in part to an increasing number of tests.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday announced 1,257 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 25 additional deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has had 157,950 confirmed virus cases, including 7,251 deaths.
In the past day, Illinois labs have reported a record 43,006 virus tests, for a positive test rate of 2.9%. It's the first time Illinois has surpassed 40,000 tests in a day. Over the past week, the statewide average positivity rate is 3.1%., compared to 2.6% one week ago.
Illinois has surpassed 1,000 new cases five times since July 9, although the state also has set three new records for daily testing during the same timeframe.
As of Wednesday night, 1,434 coronavirus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 311 in intensive care, and 127 on ventilators. All three of those figures are down from Tuesday night.
So far, the vast majority of COVID-19 patients have recovered from the disease, with a 94% 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.
