Illinois is now averaging more coronavirus cases per day than when the virus hit its first peak in May, data from NBC 5 Investigates showed.
As of Monday, the state was averaging 2,643 new coronavirus cases per day, surpassing the May peak of 2,565 for the first time.
Testing levels have increased significantly across the state compared to May, however. In the spring, the state was consistently reporting less than 20,000 tests each day. In recent days, the state reported between 50,000 and 70,000 daily tests. On Monday, the number sat at 47,579.
Still, positivity levels are rising in the state, reaching 4.3% Monday, a significant increase over the 3.4% reported one week earlier.
Illinois remains in better standing than surrounding states like Wisconsin, which is currently at 18% positivity.
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Illinois health officials on Monday reported 2,742 new coronavirus cases and 13 additional deaths over the last 24 hours.
According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Sunday's figures bring the state’s total to 321,892 cases and 8,997 deaths since the pandemic began.
As of Sunday, state officials reported 377 coronavirus patients were occupying intensive care unit beds in Illinois, with 1,503 available.
Of COVID-19 patients, 153 were on ventilators with 4,437 remaining available, state health officials reported.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said last week that while many of the state's healthcare regions were seeing "promising declines," "that progress has cooled."
"We are seeing changes in positivity averages around the state level off, with three regions that were decreasing last week now sitting at a stable level," he said during a virtual update last Wednesday.
Still, on Friday state health officials loosened the stricter mitigations that had been in place for weeks in Region 4, allowing the area to return to phase four guidelines Friday afternoon as positivity rates declined there.
