(WTTW News)
Illinois health officials reported 1,707 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 additional deaths, including eight residents of Cook County, in a 24-hour period since Wednesday.
The new figures bring statewide totals to 227,334 cases and 7,977 deaths across the state’s 102 counties, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Among those whose deaths were reported Thursday in Cook County were six men ranging in age from their 60s to their 80s, and two women in their 80s and 90s.
In that same 24-hour window, Illinois laboratories tested 44,510 specimens, bringing the statewide total to 3,875,922. According to the IDPH, the seven-day statewide positivity rate is 4.1%.
IDPH data also shows that as of Wednesday night, 1,631 Illinoisans were hospitalized with COVID-19, and of those, 390 patients were reportedly in intensive care units and 151 patients were on ventilators.
The IDPH said it will now report both confirmed and probable cases and deaths on its website, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The department said this will help show the potential burden of COVID-19 illness and efficacy of population-based non-pharmaceutical interventions.
The CDC also issued other, more controversial new guidance, stating that those without COVID-19 symptoms do not necessarily need to be tested. Chicago health officials said they’ll continue to recommend that anyone exposed to a person diagnosed with the coronavirus be tested for COVID-19.
Similarly, the World Health Organization on Thursday recommended countries should actively test people to find coronavirus cases, even if they have mild or no symptoms.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for the coronavirus, says when officials are investigating clusters of COVID-19, “testing may need to be expanded to look for individuals who are on the more mild end of the spectrum or who may indeed be asymptomatic.”
Van Kerkhove says countries were free to adapt their testing guidance for their individual needs and its critical how fast countries get results.
“What’s really important is that testing is used as an opportunity, to define active cases so that they can be isolated and so that contact tracing can also take place,” she said. “This is really fundamental to breaking chains of transmission.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
