Illinois ranks second for fewest new COVID-19 cases among nine Midwest states
COVID-19 infections are simmering down across the U.S., but there are still large disparities among states in how many people are falling sick, including in the Midwest.
Compared to eight nearby states, Illinois ranked second behind Wisconsin for having the fewest recent cases of COVID-19 per capita, according to an analysis Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wisconsin had 13 new COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people in the last seven days, while Illinois tallied 16.8, the CDC reported.
Next was Minnesota with 17 new virus cases per 100,000 people, Michigan with 18.4, Ohio with 18.8, and Iowa with 19. States with the highest new case counts were Kentucky with 35.4 per 100,000 people, Indiana with 35.5 and Missouri with 65.7.
That data comes as experts predict a travel rebound over the July 4 holiday, if Memorial Day figures are any indication.
More than 1.96 million people passed through airport security checkpoints on May 28, or 76% of pre-pandemic totals, which were nearly 2.6 million in 2019. On May 28, 2020, just 327,133 people went through checkpoints, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported.
Statewide on Wednesday, new cases of COVID-19 totaled 352, higher than the seven-day average of 296.6, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.
Patients in the hospital with COVID-19 came to 599 as of Monday night, the lowest tally since the state began collecting that metric in April 2020.
The IDPH also reported that 21 more people died from the respiratory disease, more than the seven-day average of 15.
On Tuesday, 52,939 more COVID-19 shots were administered. That's more than the average of 44,427 but less than the 76,168 average a month ago on May 15.
Waning interest in COVID-19 shots caused the Kane County Health Department to announce the closing of its Aurora mass site at 970 N. Lake St. after delivering 26,987 vaccinations.
The federal government has delivered 14,000,425 doses of the vaccine to Illinois since distribution began in mid-December, and 12,070,091 shots have been administered.
So far, 5,846,862 people have been fully vaccinated, or 45.9% of Illinois' 12.7 million population, the IDPH reported. Vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna require two doses several weeks apart.
Meanwhile, nearly 63.7% of Illinois adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The state's positivity rate for COVID-19 cases is about 0.75% based on a seven-day average, another low.
Total cases statewide stand at 1,388,338 and 23,104 Illinoisans have died since the pandemic began.
Labs processed 43,926 virus tests in the last 24 hours.
If you are planning a vacation, the CDC says fully vaccinated Americans are safe to travel in the U.S. and offers cautions and recommendations for unvaccinated residents on its website.