Health officials in Illinois confirmed more than 1,100 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, along with eight additional deaths.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, a total of 1,187 new cases were reported over the last 24 hours, bringing the statewide total of cases during the pandemic to 156,693.
Wednesday's death toll brings the number of fatalities related to COVID-19 to 7,226, according to health officials.
In all, 38,161 new specimens were returned to laboratories in the state, bringing the total to 2,079,601 since the pandemic began.
The rolling seven-day positivity rate sits at just over three percent, according to health officials.
Hospitalization numbers did inch up slightly, with 1,454 hospitalizations for COVID-19. Of those patients, 324 were in intensive care units, and 130 patients were on ventilators as of Tuesday evening.
The new numbers comes as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced changes in Illinois' health regions and warned that the state won't hesitate to roll back some reopening progress to prevent further spread. His comments were echoed in Chicago, where officials said the city is "dangerously close" to reversing course in some areas.
