Illinois reports 33,066 new COVID cases, 59 deaths since last Friday

How concerned should we be about the dominant COVID-19 subvariants?

Dr. Shikha Jain from UI Health answers common questions about the COVID-19 subvariants and the proliferation of monkeypox across the Chicago area.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 33,066 new cases of COVID-19 in the state, including 59 deaths since last Friday.

IDPH is reporting a total of 3,496,014 cases, including 34,257 deaths, in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Thursday night, 1,424 individuals in Illinois were in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 152 patients were in the ICU, and 42 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators, health officials said.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The CDC said 50 counties are rated at "High Community Level" for COVID-19 — which includes counties around the Chicago and Rockford area.

About 44 counties in Illinois are rated at "Medium Community Level."

"With 94 counties now rated at Medium or High Community Level for COVID-19, we are seeing a slow but steady increase in case counts," IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars said in a statement. "We remind Illinoisans that the most important step they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones is to make sure they are up-to-date with vaccines and booster shots. This is especially important for people who are vulnerable to serious medical outcomes."

The Illinois counties listed at ‘High Community Level’ include: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Lake, McHenry, Will, Boone, Bureau, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago in northern Illinois; Adams, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Fulton, Knox, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, McDonough, Menard, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Sangamon, Schuyler, Tazewell, Vermillion and Warren in central Illinois; and Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Franklin, Jackson, Jersey, Madison, Marion, Perry, Pulaski, Union, Wabash and Williamson in Southern Illinois.

A total of 22,804,249 vaccines have been administered in Illinois, health officials said.

Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19.html.

To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.