Illinois COVID Update: IL reports 2,481 cases, 51 deaths

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 2,481 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 51 related deaths Thursday.

There have been 1,663,364 total COVID cases, including 25,377 deaths in the state since the pandemic began.

The seven-day statewide test positivity rate from Oct. 7-13 is at 2.6 percent.

Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 127,488 specimens for a total of 33,570,829 since the pandemic began.

As of Wednesday night, 1,601 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 357 patients were in the ICU and 183 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

A total of 14,964,603 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of Wednesday. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 27,559.

According to the CDC, Illinois is now in the "substantial" level of COVID-19 transmission category. Illinois is now at 95 new cases per 100,000 people, just below the "high" level of transmission benchmark.

The CDC director has added frontline workers to the list of those eligible for booster shots, which also includes people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those 50 and above with chronic health care problems should get boosters 6 months after their first dose. The CDC said younger people with underlying health issues can decide for themselves.

With the CDC's recommendation, millions of Americans will now eligible for the booster shot, but the head of Pfizer said he believes there is enough supply to handle those people and those still awaiting their initial vaccination.