Illinois coronavirus increase hits another two-month high with 1,941 cases
Testers use grabbing tools to administer swabs to people getting tested for COVID-19 at the drive-thru portion of a one-day testing site arranged by the Community Organized Relief Effort at St. Mary Star of the Sea School on July 29. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times
Eight of the state’s 11 regions designated by the governor’s office have seen positivity increases for at least a week or more, while Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said the state is at “a danger point.”
Illinois’ rebound in coronavirus cases hit another apex Friday as health officials announced another 1,941 people tested positive for COVID-19.
That’s the state’s highest single-day caseload since May 24 — eclipsing the two-month high tally set a day earlier.
The latest cases were confirmed among a record 49,782 tests received by the state, but it was still enough to raise Illinois’ rolling positivity rate over the past week to 3.9%.
That number, which indicates how quickly the virus is spreading, was 2.6% at the end of June.
The state hasn’t topped 2,000 cases since late May, when the state suffered its peak COVID-19 impact, reporting an average about 2,100 new cases and 100 deaths per day.
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And after the Illinois curve flattened through June, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has sounded the alarm on a steady case increase in recent weeks. On Thursday, he warned the state is “at a danger point,” on the precipice of a massive coronavirus flareup like those seen in many other states.
“Pay attention,” the Democratic governor said. “Now is the moment to wear your mask properly.”
Eight of the state’s 11 regions designated by the governor’s office have seen positivity increases for at least a week or more. Under Pritzker’s coronavirus resurgence plan, that means they could soon face a state intervention including business shutdowns if hospital admissions increase or bed availability decreases.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday also announced another 21 deaths have been attributed to the virus, raising Illinois’ pandemic toll to 7,495.
A total of 178,837 people have tested positive in Illinois since March, among nearly 2.7 million who have been tested.
As of Thursday night, 1,369 Illinois coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 346 in intensive care units and 148 on ventilators.