Health officials in Illinois reported 11,891 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours as the state set another single-day testing record on Saturday.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, a total of 120,284 new tests were returned to state laboratories over the last 24 hours, breaking the single-day record for tests conducted during the pandemic.
In all, 9,708,982 tests have been performed statewide during the pandemic, with the state poised to cross the 10 million threshold next week.
That news comes as the state continues to see a surge in new cases of the virus. According to IDPH data, Saturday’s new case numbers bring the statewide total to 646,286 bases of coronavirus since the pandemic began earlier this year.
State health officials also reported 127 additional deaths in the last 24 hours, marking the fourth consecutive day that the state has seen more than 100 COVID-19 related fatalities. In all, 11,430 Illinois residents have died after contracting the virus, with 522 more deaths classified as “probable” COVID-19 fatalities.
The state’s rolling seven-day positivity rate, which had risen to 13.6% earlier this month, stayed steady at 11.5% on Saturday, continuing a slight decrease in that number.
Illinois also set a new hospitalization record on Saturday, as 6,175 residents are currently hospitalized due to the virus. Of those patients, 1,173 are currently in intensive care units, and 595 are on ventilators, according to IDPH data.
