Illinois COVID-19 Update: IL reports 1,700 new coronavirus cases, 55 deaths and record-high vaccines, record-low test positivity

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Department of Public Health officials reported 1,700 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 55 deaths on Thursday.

The state's test positivity hit another new record low for a second straight day, falling to 2.5%. The state also set another vaccine record Thursday, reaching it's highest-ever 7-day vaccination average.

SEE ALSO | Cook County Health to release 20K COVID vaccine appointments

Officials said they are targeting 30 suburban Cook County communities for some of the remaining United Center appointments. We're told that list is still being compiled, but we have a sense of where many of those areas might be.

Officials said Thursday the the appointments will be prioritized for areas with high infection rates and low vaccine uptake, determined, in part, by the county's COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index.

It shows the highest-ranking suburbs are clustered in the western and southern parts of Cook County.

"Our measures and principles are always to do this equitably, efficiently, and geographically to make sure that everyone throughout our jurisdiction has an availability to get the vaccine," said Israel Rocha, Cook County Health.

Supply continues to increase, but only modestly. Data from the CDC shows Illinois and Chicago are set to receive a combined 606,000 Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson doses from the federal government next week.

It's a bit shy of the 700,000 - or 100,000 per day - Gov. JB Pritzker announced would be received by mid-March.

"My team is allocating what we receive from the federal government across the state as soon as we get it," Pritzker said.

Area counties have yet to announce when they'll expand to Phase 1B+, including Lake County, Illinois, where 51% of seniors have been vaccinated. But 70% is the benchmark to move to the next phase.

"Nobody has enough vaccine, and the state realizes that, and they want to provide more vaccine, but the state isn't getting enough vaccine from the federal government," said Mark Pfister, executive director of the Lake County Health Dept.

IDPH reported a total of 1,204,409 COVID-19 cases, including 20,863 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday night, 1,118 patients in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 231 patients were in the ICU and 102 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

RELATED: Illinois coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area

Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported testing 89,893 specimens for a total of 18,894,652since the pandemic began.

The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 4-10 is 2.5%.

RELATED: Illinois COVID vaccine map shows how many residents vaccinated by county

A total of 4,488,655 doses of vaccine have been delivered to providers in Illinois, including Chicago, with an additional 414,900 doses allocated to federal government partners for long-term care facilities, bringing the total number delivered in Illinois to 4,903,555.

When will kids be able to get COVID vaccine?

Dr. Robert Citronberg answers COVID-19 questions.

IDPH reports that a total of 3,680,703 vaccine doses have been administered, including 353,125 at long-term facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered is 98,166.

On Wednesday, 112,776 vaccine doses were administered and a total of 1,306,551 are fully vaccinated.

RELATED: United Center COVID vaccine sign-up continues with appointments available on Zocdoc

The deaths reported Thursday include:

-Adams County: 1 male 90s

-Alexander County: 1 male 70s

-Bureau County: 1 female 60s

-Cass County: 1 male 70s

-Cook County: 1 female 20s, 1 male 30s, 2 females 40s, 1 female 50s, 2 males 50s, 1 female 60s, 3 males 60s, 4 females 70s, 5 males 70s, 5 females, 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 males 90s, 1 female over 100

-DuPage County: 2 males 80s

-Edwards County: 1 male 60s

-Fayette County: 1 male 80s

-Grundy County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 80s

-Jackson County: 1 female 70s

-Lake County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 80s

-Madison County: 1 male 70s

-McHenry County: 1 female 20s

-McLean County: 1 male 70s

-Montgomery County: 1 male 60s

-Peoria County: 1 male 80s

-Perry County: 1 female 70s

-St. Clair County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s

-Union County: 1 male 70s

-Will County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s

-Williamson County: 1 male 50s