Illinois Department of Public Health officials have announced another 15,415 new cases of the coronavirus disease on Friday. There were also 27 additional deaths.
Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike says now is not the time to get COVID fatigue.
“Please know that this virus can spread quickly and its gaining on us and getting ahead of us, especially in long term care facilities where we have our most vulnerable individuals. This can happen anywhere, so if you have been vigilant and want to loosen up, please this is not the time. We can continue to make progress but we all have to stay in doing these things that are so essential.”
Ezike cited social distancing, wearing a mask, and not gathering in crowds as key activities that need to take place.
Illinois also set a new record on Friday for the number of tests completed at 106,000.
Only six Illinois counties are not at the warning level. Marion, Clay, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Jefferson, Wayne and Washington are all on the list for a positivity rate of above eight percent for at least the past three days.
The state’s latest positivity rate is 13.2-percent.
The Southern Illinois Region positivity rate as a whole is at 12.8-percent. The Marion County rate is 10.8-percent. The Jefferson County rate is at 12.6-percent. The Wayne County rate is 10.4-percent.
The overall Metro East Region positivity rate is at 14.8-percent. The Clinton County rate is at 20.1-percent. Washington County is at 18.9-percent.
The overall East Central Region positivity is 13-percent. The Clay County rate is 15.8-percent. The Effingham County rate is 21.7-percent. The Fayette County rate is at 27-percent.
