Illinois Surpasses New York In Testing Per Capita

ILLINOIS — As Illinois nears 100,000 cases of the coronavirus, the state has now surpassed New York to become the number one state in the country for coronavirus testing per capita over the past seven days.

"There's much more work to do to advance testing to make it even more widely available, but I do want to recognize, at this juncture, the folks who made this happen," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during Tuesday's news briefing. Pritzker thanked the Illinois Department of Public Health and its lab professionals, the raw materials procurement teams, in-state research university partners, partner hospitals, commercial laboratories, healthcare workers and the Illinois National Guard.

State health officials on Tuesday announced 1,545 new cases of the coronavirus and 146 additional deaths, bringing the statewide total to 98,030 confirmed cases and 4,379 known deaths.

Those who can receive a coronavirus test at state testing facilities include:

• Anyone with symptoms of the coronavirus
• Those with risk factors (contact with someone who has the coronavirus, or someone who has a compromised immune system)
• Anyone who works in a healthcare facility
• Those who work in correctional facilities
• Anyone who works as a government employee
• First responders
• Those who support critical infrastructure (grocery store workers, pharmacy workers, etc.)

"As testing expands, so too will the criteria allowing more people to get a test," Pritzker said.

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You can find a list of testing sites in Illinois here.

All four regions in Illinois remain on track to move to phase 3, Pritzker said.

Even the northeast region, which has the most cases of the coronavirus in the state, now has a test positivity rate of 17.5 percent, and all other metrics meet phase 3 standards.

"As residents, businesses and employees gear up for phase 3, we will be providing specific safety and mitigation guidelines for work places and activities that are reopening," Pritzker said.

More information on guidelines will be released in the coming days.