268 new cases of coronavirus, 15 deaths reported day after state moves to Phase 5 of reopening

State health officials reported 268 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, a day after the city announced it was fully reopening and state officials said they were moving into Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan.

With 52% of adults in the state now fully vaccinated, new cases of coronavirus have continued to fall. The number of new cases was only slightly lower in March 2020, when data was first being collected.

State officials also reported 15 new deaths attributed to the virus on Saturday. They included nine people in Cook County between the ages of 50 and 90.

More than 1.3 million cases of coronavirus have been identified in the state since the pandemic began, including 23,050 deaths in Illinois.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity rate from June 5-11 was 1.2%.

The numbers underscore the importance of getting vaccinated to stop the spread of the virus to others, including those who cannot get a vaccine because of other health issues.

The number of people getting vaccinations has continued to drop since a record number were administered in April when more than 174,000 people received doses. On Friday, 38,593 people received a vaccination, with a seven-day rolling average of 45,606 doses each day, according to state data.

A total of 11,902,049 vaccines have been administered in the state as of midnight Saturday.

The vaccines continue to be shown as safe and effective, state officials said. Face masks and social distancing are no longer required statewide for vaccinated people, unless of a business or municipality requests their continued use.