COVID-19 In Illinois: 7,214 New Coronavirus Cases, 103 Additional Deaths; Positivity Rate And Hospitalizations Continue To Drop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As shipments of the first COVID-19 vaccine are being delivered across the country, Illinois is continuing to see encouraging signs in some of its virus metrics, as the statewide average case positivity rate and coronavirus hospitalizations continue to decline, although deaths from the virus remain higher than during the first surge of the pandemic in the spring.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 7,214 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Monday, as well as 103 additional deaths.
Since the start of the pandemic, the state has reported a total of 856,118 coronavirus cases, including 14,394 deaths.
As of Monday morning, the state's seven-day average case positivity rate stands at 8.7%, the lowest it's been since Nov. 4. The state's positivity rate has largely been trending downward 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.
As of Sunday night, a total of 4,951 coronavirus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 1,070 patients in the ICU and 621 patients on ventilators. It's the first time since Nov. 9 that Illinois has reported fewer than 5,000 coronavirus hospitalizations statewide.
While hospitalizations seem to have started trending downward since peaking at 6,175 on Nov. 20, there are still far more COVID-19 patients in the hospital at the start of December than at the start of October.
Illinois is averaging 5,119 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.
While the state's positivity rate and hospitalizations have started trending downwards in recent weeks, deaths from the virus have yet to take a clear turn for the better since the start of the fall surge in October.
Illinois is averaging 151 deaths per day so far in December, compared to 111 per day during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in mid-May.
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