CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- After months of increasing numbers, there’s some good news to report on coronavirus front in Illinois.
For the first time since mid-October, the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate is under five percent.
llinois public health officials announced Sunday another 3,292 positive cases of COVID-19 and 40 additional deaths.
The new cases were among 90,138 tests sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health, dropping the state’s positivity rate from 4.9 percent to 4.8 percent.
Hospitalizations are down too. As of Saturday night, 2,994 people statewide were hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 617 patients in intensive case and 321 on ventilators.
Since the start of the pandemic, 1,101,819 people in Illinois have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said. The state’s death toll now stands at 18,750.
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With the test positivity rate dropping, some Illinois regions have been able to loosen COVID-19 restrictions. For instance, over the weekend, Chicago and suburban Cook County met the metrics required to move into Tier 1 mitigation, allowing for limited indoor dining.
As of Sunday, all but three of the state’s 11 regions have improved to Tier 1 mitigation level or Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan.
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The news comes as Illinois prepares to enter Phase 1B of its vaccine distribution plan Monday. Those 65 and older, as well as frontline essential workers, such as teachers, grocery store workers, and first responders are eligible to be vaccinated.
On Saturday, 23,653 doses of the vaccine were administered, officials said. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 27,776 doses.
As of Saturday night, 1,636,775 doses of vaccine were delivered and a total of 681,473 doses have been administered in the state, officials said.