Illinois sets new daily COVID-19 case record

Illinois on Thursday recorded a record number of new COVID-19 cases as cases in the U.S. surge with the spread of the omicron variant.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed 18,942 cases on Dec. 23, exceeding its previous record of 17,608 cases recorded on Nov. 5, 2020. The state currently has a test positivity rate of 8.6 percent. However, the Chicago Tribune noted that the state’s test positivity rate was significantly higher last year, with a peak rate of 13.2 percent during the week of Nov. 12, 2020.

IDPH also said that vaccines have helped fewer people end up the hospital amid the current surge. Over 70 percent of Illinois’s population aged 12 and up is fully vaccinated.

There are currently around 860 COVID-19 patients occupying the nearly 3,000 staffed ICU beds in Illinois. Out of the roughly 5,500 ventilators available in the state, 485 are being used for COVID-19 patients. According to the IDPH, Illinois has currently confirmed 71 cases attributable to the omicron variant.

This new record comes just days after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) announced a round of new vaccine requirements for public spaces in light of the omicron variant. Lightfoot’s public order will go into effect beginning on Jan. 3 and will require patrons over the age of 5 to show proof of vaccination at venues like restaurants and gyms.

Illinois is one of only eight states in the U.S. to currently have a statewide mask mandate in effect. While Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) backed Lightfoot’s stricter measures, the Tribune reported that he will not be considering similar rules statewide.