Over a quarter of Illinois counties are now at “high” COVID-19 transmission risk, according to data released late Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [Health News Illinois]

The 32 counties are at a level where the agency recommends people mask indoors in public spaces, while another 28 counties are rated at the “medium” risk level.

The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are falling, though case counts are slowly increasing.

As of Wednesday, 1,180 Illinoisans were in the hospital with COVID-19, down 21 from Tuesday and down 87 from the prior week.

Of the patients in the hospital, 107 were in intensive care units, down 14 from Tuesday and down 11 from the prior week. Twenty-one percent of Illinois’ ICU beds were available, down one percentage point from the prior week.

There were 29 patients on ventilators, down seven from Tuesday and down four from the prior week.

The Department of Public Health reported 4,294 new COVID-19 cases and 10 death on Thursday. The new cases bring the state total to 3,346,836, while the death toll is at 33,914.

The seven-day average for new cases on Thursday was 4,811, up 176 from the prior week. The seven-day average for daily deaths is 10, up three from the prior week.

The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 37.8, up 1.4 from the prior week.

Illinois vaccinators have administered 22,471,044 COVID-19 vaccines, including 4,554,223 booster doses. The seven-day average for doses administered is 11,824.

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