Illinois’ public health department reported Saturday that 29 COVID-19-related deaths, the smallest one-day total in the state since mid-November.
Not only was the total, included in a news release from the Illinois Department of Public Health, lower than any single day since Nov. 13, but it is about a quarter of the 111 deaths the state has been averaging over the past two weeks.
The latest numbers bring the number of COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began to 16,674 and the number of cases to 975,352.
The health department also reported that there were 4,762 new confirmed and probable, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 975,352.
But the release included a potentially worrisome statistic, as well. The cases that were detected among 61,987 tests submitted on New Year’s Day helped raise the statewide average positivity rate over the past week to 8.3% from 6.8% rate a week ago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
