Health officials in Illinois confirmed 1,700 new cases of coronavirus and 55 additional deaths on Thursday, with over 112,000 doses of the COVID vaccine administered to state residents in the last 24 hours.
According to figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the latest new confirmed and probable COVID cases reported over the last day brought the state’s total to 1,204,409 cases since the pandemic began last year.
The 55 new deaths brought the state to 20,863 fatalities related to the virus, according to health officials.
In the last 24 hours, state health officials say 89,893 new test specimens were returned to state laboratories, bringing the statewide total to over 18.8 million tests performed.
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As of Wednesday evening, 1,118 Illinois residents were hospitalized due to the virus, the lowest number recorded since the pandemic began to spread last spring. Of those patients, 231 are currently in ICU beds, and 102 are on ventilators.
According to health officials, the seven-day positivity rate on all tests currently stands at 2.2%, while the positivity rate for individuals tested is at 2.5%, remaining at historic lows during the pandemic.
On Wednesday, 112,776 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered, bringing the rolling seven-day average for daily vaccinations to 98,166, according to IDPH officials.
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In all, Illinois has received 4,488,655 doses of the vaccine, and a total 3,680,703 have been administered in the state.
