Deaths related to COVID-19 in Illinois are up a startling 260% from the start of October, Gov. J.B. Pritzker revealed Monday, as the state continues to deal with increasingly alarming coronavirus rates.
As of Monday, the state reported an average of 81 daily deaths, marking a 98% increase from two weeks earlier when the average was 41 deaths per day. A total of 10,779 deaths have been reported throughout Illinois, and nationwide the coronavirus has claimed more than 246,000 lives.
Deaths are called a "lagging indicator," Pritzker explained, meaning the numbers typically rise after a spike in hospitalizations.
Knowing that, he said, "it’s all the more concerning that even before winter we are already seeing the consequences of significantly rising case rates and hospitalizations..."
Current hospitalization rates are also higher than those reported during the spring. In the last two weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health and the governor, hospitalizations have increased 70% alone.
Illinois health officials reported 11,632 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Monday, marking the 11th consecutive day in which the state has seen more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases.
"As I said...and have said throughout this pandemic, this virus knows no boundaries," Pritzker stated. "What we’re seeing now is a widespread problem across every region of Illinois all at once."
