A record daily high of new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed today.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 4,015 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease, including 53 additional confirmed deaths.
It is the highest daily total since September 4th, when IDPH reported 5,368 new cases of COVID-19 after a slowdown in data processing delayed the reporting of some additional aggregate test numbers.
IDPH say those cases not reported in the previous several days were included in the September 4, 2020 total. The slowdown did not affect the reporting of positive or negative results to individuals in any way.
During a COVID-19 update on Wednesday, Governor J.B Pritzker reminded the public that the virus is still dangerous, and health officials are finding it can cause long term health implications.
“If you think it’s okay to let your guard down because some people seem fine after they got COVID-19, I’ll remind you that many young people in their 20’s and 30’s and 40’s are experiencing long hauler symptoms of this virus. Pulmonary issues, months long breathing and coughing issues, exhaustion. Even for healthy young people, that is not a walk in the park.”
Pritzker also announced positivity rate increases in all 11 regions of the state. Today make the ninth day in a row Illinois has had a daily total of more than 2,600 newly confirmed cases.
With the increase in cases, the statewide average rose from 4.6% and now sits at 4.9%. As of Monday, Region 3 is at a 6.4% positivity rate, and Morgan County is up to a 10% rate, according to the IDPH statistics.