Illinois COVID-19 hospitalizations climb above 1,700 again

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Illinois are back above 1,700 for the first time since early October.

State health officials Friday are reporting 1,759 COVID-19 patients are being treated in Illinois hospitals, 90 more patients than the day before.

Of those hospitalized, 350 are in intensive care, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

IDPH officials also reported 37 more COVID-19 deaths, as well as 5,720 new cases diagnosed.

That brings the state's death toll from the virus to 26,277, while 1,763,866 infections have been recorded throughout Illinois since the outset of the pandemic.

Illinois saw 28,280 new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed this week, that's up 25% from the prior week that accounted for 22,600 new cases, IDPH records reveal.

The state's seven-day rolling average of new cases is at 4,040, the highest level since early September.

The state's seven-day case positivity rate is at 3.2%. That's up from 3% the prior day, IDPH records show.

Just 3.2% of the 176,441 tests results reported Friday indicated a new infection, according to IDPH data.

Meanwhile, 69,949 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including 9,911 more doses to children between the ages of 5-11 who are experiencing that age group's highest infection rate so far during the pandemic.

In all, vaccine providers in Illinois have administered 16,691,850 doses since they were made available almost a year ago.

IDPH officials are reporting 57.4% of the state's 12.7 million residents are now fully vaccinated.