State data shows the rate of new COVID-19 infections continues to slow - but case are still climbing.
There were 3,000 fewer new cases of the virus in Illinois this week, even as more than 18,000 new cases were reported. That's down from just over 30,000 new cases the first week of September.
The state's positivity rate is down to 2.2%, and hospitalizations dropped by nearly 100 to roughly 1,800 people.
In this region, the trend follows state and national lines - while there are new cases, the rate of increase is slowing. Lagging indicators like hospitalizations and deaths are still high - southern Illinois lost 68 people in the last week to complications from COVID. A handful of ICU beds are available across the region, and most who are hospitalized with the virus are unvaccinated.
Vaccination rates are climbing slowly - up about a half a percent from last week. Regional positivity rates are much lower - Region 4 is down to 4.7%, Region 5 down nearly three points to 5.5%, and Region 6 down to 5%.