More than half of Illinois COVID-19 deaths linked to long-term care facilities, data shows
CHICAGO (WLS) -- As Illinois moves forward with reopening, new data reveals the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state's most vulnerable residents.
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."
