Illinois reports 2,120 coronavirus cases, 54 deaths in the last week

New emphasis added on mask-wearing as delta variant spreads across country

Dr. Shikha Jain from the University of Illinois at Chicago talks about the importance of staying vigilant with wearing masks as the virus continues to mutate and adapt.

CHICAGO - Public health officials on Friday announced 2,120 new cases of the coronavirus in Illinois and 54 additional deaths have been recorded in the last week.

The cases were among 234,527 test results submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The seven-day testing positivity rate rose to 0.9% from 0.6% last week, health officials said.

State health officials said almost 72% of Illinois adults have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 56% are fully-vaccinated.

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Illinois has recorded 1,392,552 cases and 23,245 deaths tied to COVID-19.

As of Thursday night, 424 Illinoisans were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 97 needing intensive care and 35 on ventilators.