Health officials in Illinois reported 1,631 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus Sunday, the lowest single-day increase in that metric since early October.
That news comes as vaccination efforts continue to step up across the state. According to the latest information from IDPH, the state set a new record for most average COVID-19 vaccines over the last week, with more than 60,000 residents getting doses of the vaccine per day.
Here are the latest COVID headlines from around the state:
Chicago Opens 4 COVID-19 Vaccine Sites for School Employees
Four COVID-19 vaccination sites dedicated to Chicago Public Schools teachers and staff are expected to be fully operational in the coming week, district officials said.
Starting Monday, Chicago will reserve 1,500 shots weekly for employees in the nation’s third-largest school district. That’s on top of about 2,000 doses offered in recent days to teachers who are at higher risk of illness or starting back in classrooms sooner as the district gradually reopens. Some pre-K and special education students started in-person classes Thursday.
The vaccination sites are at four schools, including Clemente High School where some educators have already received shots. District officials said employees will be excused from work duties during their vaccination appointments.
Illinois Reports 1,631 New Cases of COVID-19, 35 Additional Deaths
Health officials in Illinois have reported 1,631 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus on Sunday, along with 35 additional deaths.
According to the state Department of Public Health, Sunday’s new case numbers were the lowest reported in a single day since early October. In all, 1,162,154 cases of the virus have been recorded in Illinois since the start of the pandemic, along with 19,961 confirmed fatalities.
Another 2,160 deaths are classified as “probable” COVID-19 fatalities.
Coronavirus by the Numbers: COVID-19 Metrics in Each of Illinois’ 11 Health Care Regions
All of Illinois remains in Phase 4 coronavirus mitigations as metrics related to the virus continue to improve throughout most of the state.
According to the IDPH website, all regions in the state are at or below a 5% positivity rate over the last seven days, with most regions continuing to see declines in hospitalizations.
Under current COVID mitigation rules, a region will remain in Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan unless it reports a positivity rate of more than 6.5% for three straight days, ICU bed availability of under 20% or increases in hospitalizations on seven days in a 10-day period.