One day after Illinois saw its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic so far, the state reported another 136 deaths and 2,270 confirmed cases.
As of Wednesday, the state's death toll from the virus neared 3,000 with 68,232 total cases. Of the total cases in Illinois, 4,832 individuals remained hospitalized, with 1,231 in intensive care and 780 on ventilators.
In the last 24 hours, nearly 15,000 tests were administered, bringing the total number of tests statewide to 361,260. That dropped the state's positivity rate below 19 percent Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Illinois reported 176 fatalities in a single day, marking what health officials said was the "largest number of fatalities reported in a single 24-hour period."
The news comes after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a five-phased reopening plan for Illinois, which could enter its next phase at the end of the month.
"We have to figure out how to live with COVID-19 until it can be vanquished – and to do so in a way that best supports our residents’ health and our healthcare systems, and saves the most lives,"Pritzker said Tuesday.
Read more on the plan here.
