Illinois COVID-19 Cases Set 1-day Record

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois public health officials said Thursday that more cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the previous 24 hours than on any day since the coronavirus pandemic began.

The 4,015 infections announced were largely due to a big increase in testing, officials said. The state received results on 67,086 tests during the period, one of the larger one-day totals reported. The high mark topped by one the 4,014 reported on May 12, during the height of the first wave of the highly contagious coronavirus.

On Sept. 4, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 5,368 COVID-19 cases. But officials noted at the time that there had been a several-days delay in reporting testing data, so test results from previous days were included on Sept. 4.

There were 53 additional deaths Thursday, for a total in Illinois of 9,127. Overall, there have been 331,620 cases among residents, many of whom have recovered.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday that the rate of positive tests results has been rising statewide. The preliminary rate for the past week stands at 4.9%.