CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The state's climb in coronavirus cases continues to get steeper, as health officials announced a record number of new cases Saturday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 7,899 new cases, almost a 1000-mark jump from Friday's numbers that saw the previous record of 6,943 cases.
It's the third straight day Illinois has set a new record for cases.
State health officials also reported 46 additional deaths, 16 in Cook County. Deaths include a Cook County woman in her 40s, a Cook County woman in her 50s, two Cook County women in their 60s, and three men from Cook County in their 60s.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate is 7.5% and in Chicago, it's 8.4%, according to city data.
The city has also seen an increased number in testing and long lines at free testing sites, with an average of 891 positive cases daily.
As Illinois' daily coronavirus caseload continues to break records, its governor and top doctor on Friday pleaded with residents to make “pandemic-guided decisions” for their “continued good health” this Halloween weekend.
“Find new ways to celebrate the holiday while staying safe from the virus. And make sure you find a way to build that surgical or medical mask into your costume,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during his daily press briefing.
The governor also stressed the importance of social distancing and hand washing to help combat the virus and encouraged people get flu shots.
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Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, discouraged indoor Halloween parties, saying they “just aren’t likely to be safe” and urged people to celebrate virtually from home instead. Those insisting on partying away from home should remain masked and keep activities outdoors, Ezike said.
“Let’s do the right thing so that our next holidays will not give us a reason to mourn,” she said.
Within the last 24 hours, labs have reported 92,636 specimens for a total 7,729,845 statewide. As of Friday 3,228 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 680 patients were in the ICU and 290 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
Illinois now has seen a total of 410,300 cases, including 9,757 deaths.