COVID-19 update: 107,688 more shots, 22 more dead, 1,729 new cases
State health officials Saturday reported 107,688 more COVID-19 vaccines had been administered statewide.
That brings the total number of doses administered to 9,827,646 since the federal government began distributing vaccines to states in mid-December.
Vaccine providers throughout the state are now averaging 68,455 shots a day over the past week.
That figure continues to remain well below what the state was averaging just a few weeks ago, which is why Illinois Department of Public Health officials are now offering doses to primary care physicians throughout the state in an effort to get more uptake of the vaccine by those who have been hesitant to be inoculated.
"We know that when it comes to our health, the person we tend to trust the most is our own personal physician," IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said at a news conference Thursday.
Meanwhile, IDPH officials also reported 22 more COVID-19 deaths along with 1,729 new cases of the respiratory disease.
Since the outbreak began, COVID-19 has killed 22,193 Illinois residents and infected 1,353,226.
Hospitals around the state reported treating 1,947 COVID-19 patients, 466 of whom are in intensive care, according to IDPH records.
The state's seven-day case positivity average is at 2.9%, the first time it's been below 3% since March 27, according to state records.