Illinois Department of Health Reports 1,542 new confirmed cases

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,542 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 42 additional deaths. Nearly 64% of adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 47% of Illinois adults are fully vaccinated.

The Department of Public Health is reporting a total of 1,371,884 cases, including 22,536 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. In the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 79,529 specimens for a total of 24,051,654. As of Wednesday night, 1,488 individuals in were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Among them, 404 patients were in the ICU and 226 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of the total test from May 13-19, 2021 is 2.2%.  The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from May 13-19, 2021 is 2.7%. A total of 10,640,990 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight.  The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 65,998 doses. On Wednesday, 89,832 doses were reported administered in Illinois.

Illinois will tap state coffers to repay $2 billion in remaining debt on emergency coronavirus loans from the Federal Reserve, abandoning plans to use federal COVID-19 relief money. It is the only state to borrow from the special Fed program, taking out two loans totaling $3.2 billion to plug holes in the past two state budgets. Officials had hoped to pay off the state’s remaining balance with a portion of the $8.1 billion in relief funds the state is receiving from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.