The state of Illinois saw another massive surge in its seven-day positivity rate on Sunday, with 6,980 new cases of coronavirus reported over the last 24 hours.
In just one day, Illinois has seen its rolling seven-day positivity rate rise from 7.5% to 8%, the highest mark the state has seen since late May when the state was on its way down from its first coronavirus cases peak.
In all, 417,280 cases of the virus have been reported statewide since the pandemic began.
According to officials with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state also reported 35 additional deaths Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 9,792 deaths related to the virus.
The state says 78,458 test results have been returned to state labs in the last 24 hours, with 7,808,303 total tests performed during the pandemic.
Along with the increases in cases and positivity rates, the state has also seen a continued rise in hospitalizations due to the virus. According to IDPH data, 3,294 residents are currently hospitalized because of the virus, the highest number in that category since May 30. Of those patients, 692 are currently in intensive care units.
Sunday also marked an important day in Region 2, where the positivity rate has now been above 8% for three consecutive days. Once made official by state health officials, all 11 healthcare regions in the state will have some type of enhanced mitigation restrictions in effect, with Region 1 in northwestern Illinois still seeing increasing positivity rates despite having a higher tier of restrictions than any other region in the state.
