Evanston reported 11 new COVID-19 cases today for a total of 186, and across Illinois there were 1,222 new cases, bringing the total to 23,247.
Chicago had 532 new cases, bringing its total to 9,616.
The state reported 74 more deaths for a total of 868. Twenty of those deaths occurred in Chicago, where the death count now stands at 328. Evanston reported no new COVID-19 deaths today. Its total remains at five.
The chart at the top of the story shows Evanston’s daily count of new cases along with the seven-day-average of new cases, which smooths day-to-day variations and may provide a better indication of when the city has started to “bend-the-curve” enough to signal that the peak of the pandemic here has passed.
The equivalent chart for COVID-19 cases statewide is shown below.
The number of tests for COVID-19 conducted across the state declined today for the second straight day — with tests today at just under half of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s goal of conducting 10,000 daily tests.
The governor, at his afternoon news conference, continued to stress that testing, tracing and treating are the keys to be able to start relaxing current restrictions on activities adopted to slow the spread of the virus.
But he said that as of now there’s still not enough testing capacity, not enough ability to trace the contacts of people who fall ill and no clear treatment for the disease.
He said he’s working with experts to try to “design a new normal, a way of life to carry us to the other side” of the pandemic.