Note: Any news conferences from Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot or other officials will be streamed in the video player above.
Illinois health officials reported nearly 7,600 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, with 76 additional deaths attributed to the virus.
Those numbers come as positivity rates declined in several healthcare regions, including in Regions 1 and 6, while others saw an increase, including Regions 4 and 5.
The entire state remains under Tier 3 mitigations, and will likely continue under those rules as the state waits for the full effect of holiday travel on COVID numbers.
Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from around the state:
COVID-19 by the Numbers: Coronavirus Metrics in Each of Illinois' 11 Healthcare Regions
As the effects on Illinois’ coronavirus metrics from the Thanksgiving holiday start to come into focus, several regions are seeing improvements in key numbers, while others are seeing things sliding in the opposite direction.
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While some regions, including Region 1 in northwestern Illinois and Region 6 in east-central Illinois, are seeing improvements across the board in their statistics, other regions are seeing positivity rates starting to inch back upward, including Regions 4 and 5 in southern Illinois, and that could be a precursor to further hospitalizations due to the virus.
The full numbers can be found here.
Illinois Reports 7,598 New Cases of Coronavirus, 76 Additional Deaths Sunday
Illinois health officials reported 7,598 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases and 76 additional deaths Sunday.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Sunday’s new cases bring the state’s total to 787,573 amid the pandemic, with case numbers slowly declining after a rapid spike in cases in October and November.
The 76 additional deaths Sunday bring the state to 13,255 fatalities. Sunday’s death toll was a significant drop from Saturday’s total, as more than 200 individuals passed away.
Mail Carrier Who Died of COVID-19 Is Honored by Customers
Residents in a Chicago suburb set up a condolence box at the police station to honor their mail carrier who recently died of COVID-19.
Victor Fajardo was a letter carrier for more than 20 years and last worked in Deerfield.
"It’s a really sobering reminder that nobody is immune to this, even if you’re healthy and you walk a five-hour route every day and people love you,” Cara McGowan told WBBM-TV.
