CHICAGO — Forty-one more people were reported to have died from coronavirus during the past day in Illinois.
Chicago and the rest of Illinois are facing a second surge of COVID-19, with new cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations skyrocketing, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. JB Pritzker have warned. Deaths are beginning to rise statewide, and officials said they expect Chicago will soon also see deaths escalate.
Officials have asked people to return to taking strict safety measures, like wearing a mask, not gathering, staying 6 feet from others and washing their hands frequently. They hope those measures will help slow the spread once more.
Among the state’s most recent victims were five people in Cook County, including a woman in her 50s. At least 9,277 Illinoisans have died from COVID-19.
The past day also saw 3,714 confirmed cases, bringing the total in Illinois up to 350,875. The state’s positivity rate rose to 5.5 percent with 59,077 tests reported.
As of Monday night, 2,261 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 489 people in the ICU and 195 people using ventilators.
In Chicago, an average of 561 cases are being reported per day, a 50 percent increase from one week ago. There have been 89,920 confirmed cases.
Chicago’s surge is being seen among people of all age groups, all races and in every part of the city.
The city is also seeing an average of three people dying per day. At least 3,017 Chicagoans have been killed by coronavirus.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are beginning to rise in Chicago, the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Allison Arwady, said Monday. That’s a warning sign deaths could soon rise.
The city’s positivity rate has risen to 5.8 percent.
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