Illinois reports 1,740 coronavirus cases, 42 deaths

CHICAGO - Public health officials on Thursday announced another 1,740 new cases of the coronavirus in Illinois and 42 additional deaths.

The cases were among 73,990 test results submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The seven-day testing positivity rate is at 2.4 percent, health officials said.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Illinois has recorded 1,193,260 cases and 20,668 deaths tied to COVID-19.

As of Wednesday night, 1,200 Illinoisans were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 260 needing intensive care and 128 on ventilators.