COVID-19 positivity rate continues to climb

The rate of positive COVID-19 tests continued to grow over the weekend, as state health authorities on Sunday reported 1,541 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and one additional death.

The seven-day rolling average of positive tests from July 19 to July 25 stands at 3.7%, officials said, up from 2.9% a week ago.

With the additional cases reported Sunday, the state has now confirmed a total of 171,424 cases since the outbreak began, along with 7,398 deaths.

The one death reported Sunday, a man in his 90s from downstate Bond County, is the lowest daily toll since one death was reported March 21, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records. The last day without a COVID-19 death in Illinois was March 16.

As of Saturday night, 1,394 people in Illinois were hospitalized for coronavirus treatment, 44 fewer than the previous night. Of those, 345 patients were in intensive-care units and 119 were on ventilators.