The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 10,573 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the state, including 14 additional deaths. It’s now the 4th straight day the state has reported 5-digit positive numbers. The preliminary 7-day statewide positivity rate is 11.4%. The state is also reporting test positivity to be at 12.4%.
According to IDPH, both positivity rates offer insight as to whether the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to the spread of the virus. Case positivity rate helps to understand whether changes in the number of confirmed cases is due to more testing or due to more infections. Whereas, test positivity accounts for repeated testing and helps to understand how the virus is spreading in the population over time.
Following CDC guidelines, the state has begun to report both lab confirmed and probable cases on Friday. A confirmed case is laboratory confirmed via molecular test. A probable case meets clinical criteria AND is epidemiologically linked or has a positive antigen test. If a probable case is later confirmed, the case will be deduplicated and will only be counted once. Probable deaths and confirmed deaths will continue to be reported separately.
Local numbers will be released later on this afternoon from the local health departments.
According to WAND-TV News, Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce Tier 2 mitigations for Regions 5 (Southeast Illinois), 7 (Will & Kankakee counties), and 8 (DuPage & Kane counties) to start on Wednesday during his daily COVID-19 press briefing today. These 3 regions will join Region 1, who has been under the increased mitigations since last month.