According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, nearly all Illinois regions have seen a drop in positivity rates for the coronavirus.
As of Friday, COVID-19 metrics showed positvity rates generally falling across the state, but hospital admissions increasing or remaining high in many regions.
Region 1, located in northwestern Illinois, reported a 16.6% positvity rate as of Friday, which is the latest number in the region's 11-day decline.
Seeing a slow and steady decrease, Region 2 dropped 0.4% in a single day, sitting at a 14.7% positvity rate as of Friday, latest data showed.
Regions 3, 4 and 5 all saw lower positivity rates Friday than days prior, according to IDPH data. Region 5 recorded the lowest of the three at 12.6%.
Without the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Region 6 reported a positivity rate of 13.7%, which is down 0.3% from one day prior. However, with data from the rapid saliva test from the university, Region 6 would have a 5.5% rate, which is the lowest in the state.
In Champaign county alone, health officials calculated the positvity rate to be just 2% with the saliva test, but reaching 9.6% when not using the university's data.
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Regions 7, 8 and 9 are each comprised of just two counties, all of which have seen a decrease in positvity rates over the past week, according to IDPH data. However, Region 7 recorded the highest rate in the state Friday at 19.2%.
Region 10, which includes all of Cook County not within Chicago’s city limits, was the only Illinois region to increase Friday reporting a 15% positvity rate. The number is 0.1% higher than the prior day.
Chicago's positivity rate, though, dropped slightly Friday to 14%, which is 1.6% lower than the city's latest coronavirus peak.
Hospitalizations, however, are high in areas close to Chicago and within the city itself. Regions 2, 8, 10 and 11 have reported the highest numbers of hospital admissions ranging between 57 and 118, IDPH data showed.
Regions 1, 3, 6, 7 have each seen a decrease in hospitalizations, according to the latest metrics, though numbers had been increasing throughout the month.
More than half of Illinois' regions had been seeing rising hospital admissions during the past week, but data showed some have increased ICU and hospital bed availability.
Five regions have all dropped below the 20% availability threshold set by the state for hospital beds, ICU beds or both. IDPH reported that some are sitting on the cusp of dropping "too low."
For a full list of coronavirus metrics and counties in each region, click here.
