The state of Illinois has remained consistent with its average number of new daily COVID cases in recent weeks, but Thursday saw a slight uptick in those numbers, with more than 1,700 new probable and confirmed cases reported in the last 24 hours.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state reported 1,723 new cases in the last day, bumping the state’s daily average to 1,160 cases per day over the last week.
The state has averaged less than 1,200 new cases per day over the last three weeks, capping off a long decline after the worst of the omicron-driven surge during the winter.
The state’s number of new fatalities per day has also remained consistently low, with 15 new deaths on Thursday. In all, 33,293 patients have died due to COVID in the state during the pandemic, with 4,278 more fatalities listed as “probable” COVID deaths.
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The state conducted nearly 100,000 new COVID tests over the last 24 hours, with Illinois now averaging 86,441 tests per day.
The positivity rate in Illinois remained at 1.3%
According to IDPH data, the state’s hospitalization rates remain near record lows, with 463 patients currently hospitalized with COVID in Illinois. Of those, just 69 are currently in intensive care units, another number near a record-low.
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These numbers come as other areas begin to see increases in BA.2 subvariant cases. As of Wednesday, more than 30% of COVID cases in a six-state area, including Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, are believed to be linked to the subvariant of the omicron strain of the virus.
That subvariant is currently impacting numerous locations around the world, including in Europe and Asia.
