State reports 7,598 new cases, as hospitalizations continue to drop

State health authorities on Sunday reported 7,598 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, along with 76 more deaths from the coronavirus.

That ends a five-day streak of at least 120 deaths - including a record 238 deaths reported Wednesday - though it's not unusual for the numbers to be lower on Sundays. Among the deaths reported were 23 in Cook County, four in DuPage, five in Kane, four in Lake and three in Will.

The Illinois Department of Public Health also reported a decline in hospitalizations due to the respiratory illness. After reporting 5,331 in the hospital Friday night, 5,160 were hospitalized Saturday night, officials said. That's down nearly 700 patients from a week ago.

Those hospitalized in intensive care also dropped, from 1,134 patients Friday to 1,103 Saturday. Patients needing ventilators fell from 694 Friday to 643 on Saturday, according to the IDPH.

The new cases Sunday bring the state's total to 787,573 since the outbreak began, including 13,255 deaths.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test remained relatively steady, at 10.1% for the week of Nov. 29 to Dec. 5. It also was 10.1% for the week of Nov. 22 to Nov. 28.