A surge in COVID cases caused by the omicron variant has continued unabated in the state of Illinois, with the average number of new cases per day increasing by nearly 60% in the last seven days alone.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state of Illinois is now averaging 23,069 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus per day over the last seven days.
That number is the highest the state has seen during the entirety of the coronavirus pandemic, and is up significantly from Dec. 27. According to officials, the state was averaging 14,535 cases per day on that date, with the new total representing an increase of 58.7% in just one week.
That increase in cases has not come as a result of increased testing. According to IDPH data, the state is actually averaging fewer test results returned to laboratories than it was a week ago, with that number decreasing by 3.3% to 180,669 tests per day.
Those numbers come as the state continues to see increasing hospitalizations. According to IDPH data, Illinois actually set a new record for COVID hospitalizations this week, with 6,294 patients currently in hospitals after testing positive for the virus.
That number represents a 21% increase over a week ago, according to IDPH statistics.
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