Illinois records 1,431 new COVID-19 cases as positivity rate dips

Public health officials on Sunday reported 1,431 new cases of COVID-19 as the statewide infection rate ticked down after climbing to its highest point in nearly a month just a day earlier.

The new cases were identified among 70,102 tests, bringing the past week’s positivity rate back down to 2.5%. That figure is critical for experts attempting to determine how quickly the virus is spreading.

After diving to an all-time low of 2.1% last weekend, the statewide positivity rate climbed Saturday to 2.6% — the highest level recorded since Feb. 25. Twenty-two deaths were also reported, including a man in his 30s from Cook County.

Sunday’s announcement also included 75,380 new vaccinations, a steep drop from the past two days, when an average of nearly 128,000 shots went into arms. More than 4.7 million vaccinations have now been administered across Illinois, with 361,886 going to long-term care facilities.

The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients also dipped slightly to 1,132, again nearing an all-time low. Of those patients, 236 were in intensive care units and 97 required ventilators.

In the past year, 1.2 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed across the state, and 21,081 Illinoisans have died.