Illinois COVID-19 cases increased nearly 200% in two weeks



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Illinois averages nearly 200% more new COVID-19 cases per day than just two weeks ago.

New figures released Monday by the Illinois Department of Public Health show the state averaged 811 new cases per day over the past week, compared to a seven-day moving average of 285 new cases per day for the week ending July 5 – a 185% increase during this time.

The seven-day moving average of new cases in Illinois has not exceeded 800 since May 31.

This is still a long way from the outbreak of infections last winter, when the state averaged more than 12,000 new cases per day.

Monday’s figures from the IDPH also show that hospitalizations continue to rise statewide, with hospitals now treating 537 COVID-19 patients, including 107 in intensive care. Two weeks ago, hospitals were treating 380 COVID-19 patients. This translates to a 41% increase since then.

“Unvaccinated Americans account for virtually all recent hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19,” Jeff Zients, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, said at a press briefing Friday. “Every death from COVID-19 is tragic. And those that occur now are even more tragic because they are preventable.”

Figures from the IDPH show an additional 52,137 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since Friday, with 20 more deaths and 2,817 new cases diagnosed during that time as well.

The state’s seven-day case positivity rate rose to 2.4% – the highest level since mid-May. Case positivity shows the percentage of new cases derived from a batch of test results. Health officials use this number to track the level of spread of a virus in a particular population. A seven-day average is used to account for any anomalies in the daily reporting of these numbers.

Figures from the IDPH now show 12,969,499 doses of the vaccine have been administered since it became available in December. Records show that 55.6% of the state’s vaccine-eligible population of residents aged 12 and older are now fully immunized.

The state’s death toll from respiratory disease now stands at 23,377, while 1,402,763 Illinois residents have been infected.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also released recommendations that all children wear masks during the next school year, a stricter stance than that adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



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