Nov. 24, 2020: Gov. J.B. Pritzker detailed ways local governments and small businesses can apply for grants and available funds during the coronavirus pandemic.
Illinois health officials reported 11,378 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Wednesday, along with 155 additional deaths attributed to the virus as the state reached a significant testing milestone and as hospitalizations climb ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the new case total brings the state to 685,467 cases of the virus since the pandemic began in March. The 155 deaths reported Wednesday bring the state to 11,832 amid the ongoing pandemic.
The state continues frequent testing, with 114,233 new tests performed over the last 24 hours, lifting the state to more than 10 million coronavirus tests performed since the pandemic began.
The seven-day positivity rate increased slightly Wednesday, rising to 10.6% after dropping to 10.4% on Tuesday. After a rapid rise in that number the last month, the positivity rate had fallen six of the last eight days.
The state continues to see large numbers of hospitalizations related to the virus. In all, 6,133 patients are currently hospitalized for the virus in Illinois, with 1,208 of those patients in intensive care unit beds and 679 on ventilators.
