Restrictions were lifted Friday as Illinois transitioned to Phase Three of Gov. JB Pritzker's reopening plan.
But new data from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows that 52% of the state's COVID-19 deaths are linked to long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. State officials now link 2,747 deaths to the facilities.
In comparison, those facilities account for just 15% of the total cases statewide, at 17,135.
Illinois moves into Phase 3 of reopening plan
Illinois health officials announced 1,622 new COVID-19 cases and 86 additional deaths on Friday. There's now a total of 117,455 COVID-19 cases and 5,270 deaths statewide.
Within the past 24 hours, Illinois has conducted 25,513 coronavirus tests for a total of 855,479. The statewide 7-day rolling positive rate for May 22 through May 28 was 8%, down from a high of 23% in late April.
Coronavirus in Illinois: Latest news on COVID-19 cases, Chicago area impact
Illinois has seen the average number of daily ICU patients fall 20% in four weeks and the average number of daily deaths drop 32% in two weeks.
"The journey to this point has seemed very long, and unfortunately, the journey is far from over," Pritzker said. "Let's be clear on this: the virus is still out there, and it is still very dangerous."
COVID-19 Help, Information and Resources