BREAKING: Illinois Covid Numbers Going In Positive Direction, Are We Breaking Through?
BREAKING NEWS: The latest Illinois weekly covid-19 numbers are trending in a positive direction, with a third straight week of slowly declining numbers after two months of spiking cases.
There were 21,787 new cases over the past week, a 16 percent decrease in infections over the previous week, according to the Illinois 
Department of Public Health.
Deaths due to covid also fell about 16 percent from the previous week, and across the state, the positivity rate has dropped from 4.1 to 2.7 over the last week.
Hospitals across the state also saw an 8 percent decline in covid patients, although southern Illinois was still in rough shape, with ICU beds at capacity across most of the southern zones. Only two ICU beds were available across the entire seven counties making up the southernmost part of Illinois.
Still, after several months of bad news, the good news trending was welcomed, especially considering some experts were sounding an ominous tone just a few weeks ago, before Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced even more mitigations banning students and staff from schools if they tested positive for covid or had exposure to the virus. That was in addition to the statewide mask mandate and other mitigations already in place from Pritzker.
In early August, Pritzker announced Illinois students preschool through 12 would be required to wear masks during school and indoor sports and activities, as reported on QuadCities.com. That requirement for kids to wear masks in all schools remains in effect.
Last year at this time, the Illinois positivity rate was at 3.5 percent and climbing, as Illinois numbers raged out of control in October and November, causing a statewide shutdown.
For more ongoing coverage of this situation, stay tuned to your free, fact-based alternative media, QuadCities.com.
