Highest one-day infection count in Illinois since early June
State health officials announced Wednesday that 23 more Illinois residents have died from COVID-19, while an additional 1,598 people have been infected.
That's the largest single-day number of new cases this month and the most since early June. With 39,633 test results returned as well, that's a daily infection rate of slightly more than 4%. That's also the highest rate since early June, according to Illinois Department of Public Health figures.
"A rise is still a rise and it is on all of us to bring these numbers down," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference in Chicago. "Wear a mask. If you are not wearing a mask in public, you're endangering everyone around you, so the enemy is you."
The state's death toll stands at 7,347 since the outbreak began, and 165,301 cases of the respiratory disease have been diagnosed in Illinois.
"We are seeing increased transmissions," warned Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the IDPH. "Some of it was predictable as we opened up more. But we needed that coupled with 100% masking compliance."
Pritzker noted that while Illinois' infection rate is climbing again, it is still far below bordering states where the rates are "two or three times" of Illinois'. He said the Metro East region near St. Louis is close to having new restrictions put in place as the infection rate there is approaching levels that would warrant greater caution.
Health officials also announced 337 of the state's 1,456 hospitalized COVID-19 patients are in intensive care -- the most since the beginning of the month, according to IDPH.
Pritzker also announced a grant program for county health departments to boost contact-tracing efforts by outsourcing workloads to local organizations that can assist the process. More than $50 million has been earmarked, he said.
“By working with established community-based organizations, we are hoping to reach people who may be at higher risk of infection, but hesitant to talk with health officials,” Ezike said. “We need people who are trusted in communities across the state to let people who have been in close contact with a confirmed case know that they need to monitor their health and take steps to potentially prevent spread of the virus to their family, friends, coworkers and other community members.”
Additionally, Pritzker warned of a nationwide unemployment scam that may affect unsuspecting Illinois residents.
He said scammers, using personal information stolen from previous data breaches – such as the 2017 Equifax breach – may have applied for unemployment benefits. He said anyone who received a debit card or letter from the Illinois Department of Employment Security without filing for such a claim should contact the agency to report the potential fraud.
Pritzker said the breach was affecting almost every state because the federal program to help address the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic was “poorly designed and susceptible to fraud.”
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