New cases down to 1,492, but 6.5% positive-test rate Tuesday
Illinois' daily positive-test rate for COVID-19 spiked to 6.5% Tuesday compared to the seven-day average of 4.3%, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposed restrictions on the Metro East region near St. Louis where a virus outbreak is occurring.
Restaurants and bars in Metro East are temporarily banned from offering indoor service, among other mitigations, after hitting an average 9.6% positive-test rate for the virus.
Across Illinois, 1,492 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Tuesday by the Illinois Department of Public Health, with an additional 39 deaths.
Labs reported 22,961 COVID-19 test results in the last 24 hours, with 6.5% of them positive - a jump from Monday's daily average of 3.5%.
"It is concerning," said Jonathan Pinsky, medical director for infection control and prevention at Edward Hospital in Naperville.
The total number of virus-related fatalities in Illinois is 8,064, and statewide infections stand at 236,515. In August, 56,186 new infections were recorded, a nearly 58% increase from July's total of 35,652.
The number of patients in Illinois hospitals with COVID-19 as of Monday night came to 1,513, a decrease from the seven-day average of 1,542.
Twelve of the deaths announced Tuesday are in Chicago or the collar counties, and 27 are downstate.
Meanwhile, rollout of a new saliva test for COVID-19 pioneered by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers is proceeding smoothly, U of I chemistry Professor Paul J. Hergenrother said.
So far, 161,193 tests have been processed since early July, the university reports. The tests, which are mandatory for students, staff members and faculty, ramped up Aug. 24 when most undergraduates returned to classes.
The seven-day average positivity rate for the campus is under 1%, officials reported. The highest positivity rate at U of I was 1.7% reported on Saturday.
The highest numbers of new cases occurred Aug. 24 and 25 with a total of 168 new infections after 33,506 in the university community were tested.
The most widely used test in Illinois involves a nasal swab that often takes several days for results to be reported.
The university's goal is to test everyone twice a week using the noninvasive procedure that involves drooling into a tube. The saliva samples are heated and subjected to a molecular chain reaction test that shows the presence of COVID-19 genes with results typically available in five to six hours.
"Our strong belief is by testing everybody, we can identify those individuals who are infected, get them medical help, get them isolated and remove them from the population," said Hergenrother, one of the lead scientists who developed the test.
Asked about the discrepancy between U of I's positivity average of 0.8% compared to the state's 4.3% seven-day average, Pinsky said, "These are two different things."
Many people obtaining tests at public sites or clinics are symptomatic or were in contact with someone who has COVID-19, Pinsky said, and that's going to produce a different result than broad testing of the entire U of I population.
Also Tuesday, the city of Chicago ordered that residents or visitors returning from COVID-19 hot spots Hawaii, North Carolina and Nebraska must quarantine for 14 days.
Metro East includes Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.