CHICAGO (CBS) — Illinois reported its largest single-day death toll from COVID-19 in more than a month on Thursday, as new cases and hospitalizations remained significantly higher than mid-March.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,581 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases on Thursday, as well as 40 new deaths. It’s the most deaths reported in a single day since March 11.
Since the start of the pandemic, Illinois has reported a total of 1,292,515 cases, including 21,609 deaths.
Illinois is averaging 3,195 new coronavirus cases per day in April, a 105% increase over the first 15 days of March, when Illinois averaged 1,634 new cases per day.
The statewide seven-day average case positivity rate stands at 4.2%, nearly double where it stood on March 15, when the rate was 2.2%.
As of Wednesday night, a total of 2,043 coronavirus patients were being treated in Illinois hospitals, including 468 in the ICU and 190 on ventilators. Illinois is averaging 1,766 COVID-19 hospitalizations per day in April, up 52% over the first two weeks of March, when Illinois averaged 1,164 hospitalizations per day.
Meantime, a total of 9,636,355 vaccine doses have been delivered to Illinois since December, and 7,612,405 doses have been administered statewide. Illinois is averaging 129,317 vaccinations per day over the past week, and a total of 3,093,820 people in Illinois have been fully vaccinated as of Wednesday night, accounting for 24.28% of the population.