State reports 1,562 new COVID-19 cases, 18 more deaths
State health authorities on Sunday announced 1,562 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 18 additional deaths.
Among the deaths were nine Cook County residents, including a woman in her 30s; a woman in her 90s from McHenry County; and three Will County residents.
With the additional cases confirmed Sunday, the Illinois Department of Public Health is now reporting 206,081 cases in the state since the outbreak began and 7,744 deaths.
Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 37,089 tests, bringing the state's total to more than 3.3 million.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for tests taken between Aug. 9 and Aug. 15 sits at 4.1%.
As of Saturday night, 1,581 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19, with 345 of them being treated in intensive-care units, up from 330 as of Friday, and 116 on ventilators, down from 127 the previous day.
While much of the state and suburbs are experiencing overall stable COVID-19 metrics, state health officials warned late last week that 14 counties - including Kane and Will - are displaying warning signs of increased coronavirus activity.
Kane County had 105 cases per 100,000 people between Aug. 2 and 8; the state's target is less than 50. Will County hit 93 cases per 100,000 residents.
Elsewhere in the state, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the IDPH on Sunday announced the new restrictions effective Tuesday on the Metro East area outside St. Louis after the region reported three consecutive days of a test positivity rate of 8% or higher.
Measures include the closing of bars, restaurants, and casinos by 11 p.m. the closing of party buses and the reduction of gathering sizes to the lesser of 25 people or 25% of room capacity. The measures will remain in effect for at least 14 days, at which time officials say even stricter measures will be put in place if metrics do not improve.
"If the data shows we need to go backwards in our reopening, I won't hesitate to tighten restrictions to protect our collective health," Pritzker said in Sunday's announcement.