With 2,442 new COVID-19 cases, Illinois reaches 300,000, adds 31 deaths
With the addition of 2,442 new confirmed cases, Illinois has topped 300,000 COVID-19 cases, state health authorities announced Saturday.
The additional cases Saturday brings the state's total to 300,088 since the outbreak began, a grim milestone as Illinois experienced its highest daily case number since Sept. 25 and fourth consecutive day of more than 2,000 new infections.
The state also reported 31 more confirmed deaths linked to COVID-19, most of them downstate. Seven of the reported deaths occurred in Cook County, one in Kane County and four in Will County.
The additional deaths brings the state's total to 8,774, officials reported.
Despite the high case totals, the test positivity rate remained at 3.4% for a second consecutive day. Within the previous 24 hours, officials said Saturday, laboratories reported 71,634 tests, bringing the total to more than 5.8 million. It is the second straight day, but only fourth overall, on which more than 70,000 tests have been reported.
As of Friday night, 1,535 people hospitalized in the state with COVID-19, down from 1,678 Thursday night. Of those patients 361 were in an intensive care unit - down 12 from Thursday - and 140 were on ventilators, 22 fewer than the previous day.