Illinois hospitals averaging 8.4% fewer COVID-19 patients than week ago

State health officials Thursday reported 1,676 COVID-19 patients were being treated in hospitals throughout Illinois, the fewest since Aug. 12.

Of those hospitalized, 409 are in intensive care, according to Illinois Department of Public Health records.

The average number of COVID-19 patients being treated in Illinois hospitals each day this week is 8.4% lower from a week ago, IDPH data shows. The hospitals' average daily patient load for the week is at 1,726, the lowest level for those stricken with the virus since mid-August.

IDPH officials also reported 36 more COVID-19 deaths, as well as 3,371 new infections, over 24 hours.

That brings the state's death toll from the virus to 25,189, while 1,647,364 cases have been diagnosed since the outset of the pandemic.

The state's seven-day case positivity rate is at 2.2%, up slightly from the day before. Case positivity allows health officials to track the level of infection within a certain population by monitoring the percentage of new cases derived from batches of test results. A seven-day average is used to account for any anomalies in the daily reporting of those figures.

Meanwhile, 47,306 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given statewide, IDPH reported.

Vaccine providers in Illinois have administered 14,789,589 doses since December 2020.

IDPH officials noted 55.7% of the state's 12.7 million residents are considered fully vaccinated.