The graph shows the rolling, 7-day positivity rate for tests completed starting on June 1. The positivity rate peaked at 13.2 percent on a rolling average as of Nov. 13, and the entire state entered strict Tier 3 mitigations on Nov. 20. Since then the positivity rate has been on a continual downward trend except for the two weeks following Christmas day when it rose from just under 7 percent to over 8.5 percent before beginning to fall again. Hospitalizations for the disease continued on a gradual downward arc as well, decreasing for the eighth week in a row as of Sunday night after peaking the week ending Nov. 22. Approximately 32 percent of staffable hospital beds and 29 percent of staffable ICU beds remained unused statewide.  That surge capacity had dropped to the high teens for ICU beds and low 20s for hospital beds in December.

Deaths related to COVID-19 have significantly dropped this week as well, although those numbers fluctuate daily and are lagging indicators of disease spread. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported another 33 deaths Tuesday after reporting 50 Monday and 29 Sunday. The state had reported single-day death counts exceeding 100 for 17 of the past 30 days, and has not reported a death count this low in a three-day period since the end of October. The progress on all of the key metrics has spurred the state to slowly begin removing mitigation measures that prohibited several indoor activities since Nov. 20 or earlier, depending on the region and the activity.

The state has now reported over 1 million cases of the disease and 18,291 deaths since the pandemic first reached Illinois, with more than 14.8 million test results reported. As of Tuesday night, Illinois had received over 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with 508,732 having been administered, although administrators have three days to report a vaccination once it has been conducted. Of the doses received, 781,350 were delivered to providers and 304,600 doses have been allocated to the federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. Of the doses administered, 69,976 have been part of the partnership program. On average over the past week, the state administered 22,134 doses each day.   

Phase 1B will begin statewide on Jan. 25 with sites giving vaccinations to those eligible by appointment only, according to the governor’s office. All residents over the age of 65 and frontline essential workers can receive the vaccine as part of Phase 1B. IDPH will also partner with large pharmacies to launch new sites in communities across Illinois, according to the governors office.