The number of fatalities associated with coronavirus reached a bleak milestone in Illinois Thursday.
The total number of cases reported now sits at 70,873, with 3,111 fatalities as of Thursday. That's an increase of 2,641 cases and 138 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state health department.
So far, the state has administered nearly 400,000 tests, with more than 17,000 conducted in the last day. The positivity rate for Thursday, sat at around 15 percent, health officials said.
The new cases come as state officials reported a surge in Latinx residents this week, noting that the group is testing positive at a much higher rate than other demographic groups in Illinois.
Meanwhile, Chicago health officials say the city has not yet reached a peak, but is expected to in the coming days.
"We're still at the stage where we're flattening the curve. We're not yet coming down," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Wednesday.
Arwady said the city is still expected to peak in May, however.
"We are making progress, but we're far from out of the woods," Arwady said.
