Health officials report drop in Illinois COVID-19 infections

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Numbers released by the Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday show the COVID-19 infection rate in the state is improving for the first time in weeks.

The department reported 2,587 new coronavirus cases from among 62,406 tests administered for a positivity rate of 3.8%. It is the first time the positivity rate has fallen below 4% since April 6.

'œThings are looking up a little bit,'ť Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during an online question and answer session. 'œJust over the last three to four days, we've seen stabilization or just a little decline. '¦ That's exactly what we want to see.'ť

Hospitals across Illinois are still feeling the effects of the uptick of COVID-19 cases, according to public health officials. Victims of virus took up 2,288 beds statewide late Monday, the highest number of admissions since the first week of February.

The nine deaths reported Tuesday brings the number of Illinoisan killed by COVID-19 to 21,694. More than 1.3 million residents have tested positive.