Evanston health officials reported 22 new COVID-19 cases among Evanston residents today as the state hit a new record of 10,376 new cases.
That’s up from 9,935 new cases on Thursday. There were 49 more deaths, bringing the state’s coronavirus death toll to 10,079.
There also was one additional death in Evanston today, raising the city’s death toll from the pandemic to 77.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker, at a news conference this afternoon, said if the increase in cases “goes exponential, we’ll be in a world of hurt.”
He also said that bars and restaurants remain the top locale cited to contract tracers as a possible source of transmission by people who have been diagnosed with the disease.
The state reported 98,401 coronavirus test results today, up from 86,015 on Thursday.
State Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the state added 7,673 probable cases diagnosed in the past with antigen tests to the overall total today, to match the latest case counting practice recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control. That creates an apparent jump in the daily positive rate much larger than the actual 10,376 new cases reported today.
Counting only today’s tests, the statewide positive rate was 10.5% today. That’s up from a daily rate of 7.3% a week ago.
The seven-day positive test rate in suburban Cook County is now at 11.5%, up from 8.2% a week ago.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported tests of 1,266 Evanston residents today. It found 19 positive cases for a daily positive rate of 1.5%
The state now says Evanston has had a total of 1,621 cases.
The city says Evanston has had 1,610 cases.
Here are the latest seven-day positive rates for some neighboring communities:
- Chicago 11.3%, up from 9.4% a week ago.
- Skokie 6.4%, up from 4.9% a week ago.
- Wilmette 5.9%, up from 4.6% a week ago.
Chicago reported 2,583 new cases today for a total of 113,335. Its coronavirus death toll increased by 10 today to 3,121.
Suburban Cook County reported 2,706 more cases today for a total of 96,931 and two more deaths for a total of 2,465.
Those who died in Cook County today included a woman and two men in their 60s, two women and one man in their 70s, four women and one men in their 80s and two women and one man in their 90s.
The state now has had 465,540 COVID-19 cases, and it reported 49 more deaths today for a total of 10,079.
As of last night, 4,090 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 786 patients were in the ICU and 339 of those were on ventilators.