COVID update: Illinois has second-lowest test positivity rate of nearby states
Illinois continues to show a low test positivity rate for COVID-19 compared to nearby states, data from Johns Hopkins University indicated Sunday.
The state's test positivity rate for the virus is 3.5% based on a seven-day average, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Sunday.
The state also reported that new cases of COVID-19 totaled 1,402 Sunday with 14 additional Illinoisans dying of the respiratory disease.
In contrast with six neighboring states, Illinois' infection rate is the second-lowest, following Michigan's seven-day rate of 2.4%, according to Hopkins' Coronavirus Research Center.
Next is Kentucky with a 3.8% positivity rate, Indiana with 7.2%, Missouri with 11.6%, Iowa with 15.3%, and Wisconsin with 17%.
The Cook County Department of Public Health recommends suburban residents quarantine for 14 days after returning from 16 states that include Iowa and Missouri. Kentucky is also on the list but may be removed this week as numbers decline, however, Wisconsin could be added, Cook officials said.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois stands at 274,258 with fatalities reaching 8,450.
Average daily cases in the last seven days came to 1,841, a 9.3% increase compared to the 1,684 average from Sept. 7 through 13.
Labs have processed 5.1 million COVID-19 tests since the pandemic began with 48,011 reported in the last 24 hours.
Virus infections in residents age 19 and younger notched up to 12.4% Sunday from 12% earlier in September. Young adults ages 20 to 29 continue to make up the largest demographic with COVID-19 - 20% of all cases.
As of Saturday night, 1,417 people were in the hospital with the disease, less than the week's average of 1,501.
COVID-19 patients in Illinois hospitals are currently occupying 9.5% of ICU beds and 2.6% of ventilators.
The new cases included a Lake County man in his 70s, and from Cook County, four males in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s and a woman in her 90s.
Typically, COVID-19 reports of cases and fatalities are lower on Sundays because not all sources, such as county coroners' offices, report data over the weekend.