The state of Illinois reported 1,173 additional cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the state's total to 22,025 since the pandemic began.
State officials also reported 74 additional deaths associated with the virus, bringing the death toll to 794 statewide.
A total of 105,768 people have now been tested statewide for the coronavirus, with more than 5,000 tests taking place over the last 24 hours.
The report comes as state officials express guarded optimism that "stay-at-home" orders and social distancing are beginning to have an impact on the spread of the disease.
During his daily press conference on Saturday, the governor said that the state has begun to see a lower rate of increase in terms of both new coronavirus cases and the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19, and while he’s not ready to say that the state is beginning to reach its peak number of cases, he did say that he’s pleased with the results that officials are beginning to see.
“What we’re seeing is a flattening of the curve. It means a lower rise in hospitalizations than was originally anticipated. That’s a really good sign,” Pritzker said. “Hospitalizations, ICU beds, and ventilator use are the most real way you can track how the virus is moving and whether it’s expanding exponentially, and what we’re seeing is a flattening of that curve.
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Other reports have also indicated that the spread of the virus is slowing. A Bloomberg report, using data from Rush University Medical System, indicates that the rate of coronavirus cases in Illinois is doubling roughly every eight days, a huge improvement from mid-March when the rate was doubling every two days.
Even still, Governor Pritzker and other officials have warned the public to continue abiding by social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders, saying that until additional tests for the virus itself and tests to indicate if an individual has antibodies for the virus are more widely available, the state will not be able to aggressively re-open the economy.
Officials say 87 of the state's 102 counties have now reported cases of the virus, as Johnson County reported its first case on Monday.
Chicago and Cook County remain the areas hardest hit by the virus, while Will County has reported nearly 1,300 cases of the virus, along with 63 deaths.
