It’s the key to everything about this pandemic: testing, testing, testing. Most everyone agrees we’re not doing enough, yet it’s widely considered to be the benchmark by which we can eventually reopen America.
NBC 5 Investigates has analyzed numbers published by the Illinois Department of Public Health, showing how many coronavirus tests have been conducted each day — and where.
A recent study by Harvard University recommends that 152 people per 100,000 should be tested each day — which would translate to more than 19,000 tests — every day — in Illinois. NBC 5 has found that the state has fallen far short of that, averaging only about 5,700 tests, per day, for the most of April — although testing has increased significantly over the last two days.
NBC 5 Investigates used the Harvard formula to determine how many tests should be done, by zip code, for every area in Illinois that has at least 6 cases of coronavirus. We’ve created a searchable chart which allows you to check -- by zip code, community, or county — how many cases of coronavirus are currently in a specific area; how “hard-hit” the area is and whether enough testing has been done over the past several days.
NBC5 Investigates will update this chart each day with the latest numbers of cases — and tests — for every zip code and community in Illinois.
