State reports 1,403 new COVID-19 cases, drop in positivity rate

State health officials confirmed 1,403 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, along with five additional deaths from the coronavirus.

The additional cases bring the state's total to 249,580 since the outbreak began, and raises the death toll to 8,171.

The deaths reported Sunday include two Cook County residents - a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 70s. There were no new deaths confirmed in the collar counties,

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate for Aug. 30 to Sept. 5 ticked down to 4%, state officials said. The rate had been 4.2% for Aug. 29 to Sept. 4. Within the previous 24 hours, laboratories reported 46,496 tests.

As of Saturday night, 1,504 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, 33 fewer than on Friday night. Of those, 356 patients were in an intensive-care unit and 134 were on ventilators.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said its testing locations across the state would be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday.