With the announcement of 12,623 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases Tuesday Illinois passed another grim bench mark: more than 500,000 total known cases for the outbreak.
The growth in testing and the spreading outbreak launched the state from 400,000 cases past 500,000 cases in 11 days, by far the shortest period of time for the state’s case count to grow by 100,000.
Additionally, the share of the state’s cases from outside the Chicago area has increased steeply in the most recent surge.
Shape of the outbreak
The steady increase in cases during the spring now appears small in comparison with the surge in cases in October.
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Growth in cases outside Chicago area
The number of COVID-19 cases outside the Chicago area passed the individual totals from Chicago, suburban Cook County and the collar counties. All parts of the state have seen case totals grow dramatically, a shift from the spring when most of the cases were in the Chicago area.
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Passing bench marks
The gaps between the state’s case total passing multiples of 100,000 have been shrinking dramatically with each passing bench mark. Some of this can be attributed to a significant surge in testing, as the testing early in the pandemic was not widespread. However, the recent surge fed the increase as well.
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Other ways to view the numbers
Cases of COVID-19 are only one way to look at the crisis and can tell only so much about what is going on in the state. Looking at deaths from the coronavirus, total tests and the positivity rate during previous bench marks shows the shifting dynamic of the pandemic in the state.
While cases and tests grew along similar trajectories in the spring and summer, deaths from the coronavirus didn’t grow as fast. Additionally, in the spring the positivity rate in the state — the number of confirmed coronavirus cases divided by the number of tests — was very high. As the state began testing more and mitigation measures drove down new infections, the positivity rate fell. In the most recent surge, the positivity rate has grown dramatically, along with increased testing.
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How Illinois compares
Illinois is now among only five states with a total number of coronavirus cases more than 500,000. Those other states — California, Texas, Florida and New York — also happen to be the most populous in the U.S. and home to major cities.
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The picture changes when taking population into account and looking at the states with the most cases per 100,000 people. California, Texas, Florida and New York drop off the list while Illinois remains, but drops to 14th from fifth.
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The surge in cases in Illinois leads the country with the most total new cases between Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, with more than 68,000, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. Among the high population states, Texas added 53,000; California 41,000; Florida 35,000; and New York nearly 21,000 during that time. However, taking population into account, the rate of new cases in the last seven days puts Illinois 10th highest among other states, with 536.6 per 100,000 people. The highest rate is North Dakota, with 1,255.4 per 100,000 people.
![A new family of COVID variants nicknamed “FLiRT” are spreading across the country, as vaccination rates in Chicago – as well as nationwide – remain concerningly low for some public health experts. While symptoms and severity seem to be about the same as previous COVID strains, the new FLiRT variants appear to be more transmissible, said infectious disease expert Dr. Robert Murphy. “A new more contagious variant is out there,” said Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University’s Institute for Global Health and a professor of infectious diseases at the Feinberg School of Medicine. “Covid-19 is still with us, and compared to […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ctc-l-vaccines04_176390743-e1715267362803.jpg?w=620 "A new family of COVID variants nicknamed “FLiRT” are spreading across the country, as vaccination rates in Chicago – as well as nationwide – remain concerningly low for some public health experts. While symptoms and severity seem to be about the same as previous COVID strains, the new FLiRT variants appear to be more transmissible, said infectious disease expert Dr. Robert Murphy. “A new more contagious variant is out there,” said Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University’s Institute for Global Health and a professor of infectious diseases at the Feinberg School of Medicine. “Covid-19 is still with us, and compared to […]")
