Virus positivity rate remains high in areas with increased restrictions
The graph shows the rolling, 7-day positivity rate for tests completed starting on June 1. Illinois Department of Public Health data was used to calculate the averages. (Credit: Jerry Nowicki of Capitol News Illinois)
Statewide positivity rate remains roughly level near 4 percent
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – COVID-19-related deaths surpassed 8,000 over the weekend as the virus positivity rate hovered around 4 percent.
As of Monday, the rolling seven-day average positivity rate throughout the state was 4.1 percent, while the positivity rate in Regions 4 and 7 of the state’s reopening plan either remained roughly flat or increased as of Aug. 28 despite added restrictions.
Region 7 – which contains Kankakee and Will Counties – saw its positivity rate increase to 8.8 percent as of Friday after new restrictions took effect last Wednesday. In Region 4, which includes the Metro East area on the Missouri border, the positivity rate was 10.4 percent as of Friday after nearly two weeks of restrictions.
Gov. JB Pritzker has said more restrictions can come this week if the positivity rate in the area does not decrease.
Southern Illinois, in Region 5, had a positivity rate of 7.4 percent, the third highest. In Region 2, which includes Peoria and several surrounding counties, the positivity rate was 6.8 percent, and in suburban Cook County, or Region 10, the rate was 6.9 percent.
All other regions ranged from 1.6 percent in east-central Illinois’ Region 6 to 6.2 percent in Region 9, which include McHenry and Lake Counties.
From Saturday through Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported an average of 1,846 new cases each day among 46,618 tests completed on average. The positivity rate was roughly 4 percent over that span.
There are now 8,026 virus-related deaths recorded in the state after a total of 29 were reported the previous three days. There have now been 235,023 cases of the virus confirmed since the pandemic began, and IDPH reports the recovery rate is 95 percent for individuals who are at least 42 days removed from a positive COVID diagnosis.
More than 4 million tests have been conducted in the state.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Jerry Nowicki
Jerry has more than five years of experience in and around state government and nearly 10 years of experience in news. He grew up in south suburban Evergreen Park and received a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University and a master’s degree online from Purdue University.
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