Testing positivity rate ticks up again with latest 1,426 Illinois coronavirus cases

Health officials on Saturday announced another 1,426 people across Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19.

The new cases were confirmed among 38,200 tests, raising the state’s testing positivity rate over the last week to 3.6% — a full percentage point higher than it was two weeks ago.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has urged residents to wear face masks and maintain social distance as the virus rebounds across the state, a gradual rise that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has warned could prompt business closures in some regions if case numbers aren’t reined in.

Officials on Friday singled out four downstate counties at a “warning level” for a series of outbreaks tied to “business and risky behavior.”

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The latest cases marked Illinois’ fourth straight day reporting 1,000 or more cases. The state is averaging 1,068 new cases per day so far in July, up from an average of 764 daily cases in June.

But as young people have accounted for most of the recent uptick, Illinois’ coronavirus death totals have remained relatively low compared to the height of the pandemic. Twelve more deaths were attributed to COVID-19 Saturday, raising Illinois’ toll to 7,397.

An average of 98 Illinoisans succumbed to the virus each day during a peak month of May. The state is averaging 19 deaths per day so far this month.

Of the nearly 2.5 million people who have been tested in Illinois since March, 169,883 received positive results.

As of Friday night, 1,438 Illinois coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 341 in intensive care units and 110 on ventilators.