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It was another day of increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in Illinois, as nearly 2,200 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.
The state's positivity rate is also on the rise, with nearly 4.2% of coronavirus tests coming back positive over the last seven days.
With increasing positivity rates and coronavirus cases across the Midwest, the Mid-American Conference announced that all fall sports, including football, will have their seasons postponed until at least the spring.
The decision impacts Northern Illinois University, along with the other 11 member schools of the MAC.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from around Illinois today, August 8:
Illinois Reports 2,190 New Coronavirus Cases, Hits New Testing Milestone
Local
For the second day in a row the state of Illinois reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases, but the state also passed a new testing milestone as more than three million tests have now been performed statewide during the pandemic.
According to officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health, a total of 2,190 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 192,698 since the pandemic began.
According to data, the increase is the highest single-day bump in cases since May 24, when 2,508 new cases were confirmed by state health officials.
An additional 18 fatalities were reported on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 7,631.
MAC Announces Postponement of All Fall Sports, Including Football
The Mid-American Conference has announced the postponement of all of its scheduled fall sporting events, including football games, the conference announced in a statement Saturday.
According to the statement, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball are all impacted by the decision, which was reached by the Council of Presidents amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The decision impacts Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois and Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.
Indiana Reports 1,031 New Coronavirus Cases Saturday
For the third consecutive day, Indiana reported more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus, as 1,031 additional positive test results were reported by officials on Saturday.
Officials also say that 13 additional deaths were reported statewide over the last 24 hours.
In all, 73,287 coronavirus cases have been reported in the state of Indiana, with 2,834 deaths attributed to the virus.
