Coronavirus cases continue to rise in the state of Illinois, rising nearly 30% over the last seven days according to officials.
Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that the state is now averaging 5,398 new cases of coronavirus per day over the last week. That represents an increase of 28.9% over the previous week, according to officials.
That news comes on a day that saw 6,158 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus in the state, per officials.
State officials also reported 11 additional deaths related to the virus, with Illinois now averaging seven per day over the last week.
Officials say a subvariant of omicron has been largely responsible for the increases in cases, with 14 Illinois counties now considered to be at a “medium community level” of the virus according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitalizations are also creeping upward, albeit at a slower rate. As of Wednesday, there are 861 patients hospitalized with COVID in the state, and of those 86 are currently in intensive care unit beds.
Officials say that 4% of the state’s hospital beds are currently occupied by COVID patients.
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