Evanston health officials reported 23 new COVID-19 cases among city residents today and one new death, raising the city’s death toll to 75.
Statewide there were 6,943 new cases. That’s the highest one day total of the pandemic, topping the 6,363 cases recorded on Thursday.
The state reported the highest number of tests of the pandemic, 95,111. The positive rate for the day was 7.3%, the same as the seven-day testing average.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker today added Region 6 in east central Illinois to the list of regions required to stop having indoor bar and restaurant service and restricting the size of indoor gatherings to 25 rather than 50 people.
Similar restrictions, triggered by rising COVID case rates, were announced Monday and went into effect Wednesday in suburban Cook County. They took effect in Chicago this morning. They will take effect in Lake and McHenry counties on Saturday morning. The Region 3 restrictions go into effect Sunday morning. The Region 6 restrictions go into effect Monday.
At a news conference today Gov. Pritzker said he anticipates it will take a couple of weeks for the mitigation measures to take effect and bring down the rate of new cases.
He rejected the idea of imposing a statewide lockdown, but noted that the mitigation plan has three levels, and only one region has yet reached level two of the mitigation plan.
The seven-day positive test rate in suburban Cook County is now at 8.2%, up from 6.1% a week ago.
Evanston’s seven-day positive rate is now 2.9%, up from 1.6% a week ago.
The seven-day positive rate statewide, 7.2%, is up from 5.6% a week ago.
The 95,111 tests today was an increase from 83,056 on Thursday.
The state agency reported tests of 932 Evanston residents today, compared to 701 on Thursday. It found 32 positive cases.
The state now says Evanston has had a total of 1,454 cases.
The city now says Evanston has had a total of 1,460 cases.
Here are the latest seven-day positive rates for some other communities:
- Chicago 9.4%, up from 5.1% a week ago.
- Skokie 4.9%, up from 3.2% a week ago.
- Wilmette 4.6%, up from 2.2% a week ago.
Chicago reported 1,507 new cases today for a total of 100,952. Its coronavirus death toll increased by two today to 3,068.
Suburban Cook County reported 1,249 more cases today for a total of 85,453 and four more deaths for a total of 2,401.
Those who died in Cook County today included a man in his 40s, a women and a man in their 50s, a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s.
The state now has had 402,401 COVID-19 cases, and it reported 36 more deaths today for a total of 9,711.
As of last night, 3,092 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 673 patients were in the ICU and 288 of those were on ventilators.