Illinois Reports Highest COVID-19 Case Spike Of The Year

ILLINOIS — A week after many Illinoisans traveled across the state or around the country to gather at Thanksgiving tables with family and friends, state health officials reported the largest surge in new coronavirus infections this year.

The state on Thursday reported 11,524 new coronavirus cases, an 88 percent increase from the 6,119 cases reported a day prior. The weekly average spiked to 5,313, a 20 percent day-over-day increase.

Daily coronavirus cases reported in Illinois:

In addition to holiday gatherings, part of the spike is likely explained by an increase in tests as state health officials search for the new omicron variant of the virus. The World Health Organization named omicron a variant of concern last week due to an alarming number of new mutations that may make it more transmissible, but not necessarily more deadly — health officials say we'll know more in a matter of weeks. Despite new restrictions limiting travel to the countries that first reported the variant, 10 cases have been detected in the United States, from New York to Hawaii.

Many of the people who tested positive for omicron reported no international travel, leading health officials to believe it is already spreading here via community transmission.

RELATED: Omicron Variant: More Info From Cook County Health

In Illinois, health officials performed 231,876 tests on Thursday, more than double that of the previous day. Part of that number is likely due to a backlog of tests over the holiday weekend, officials said.

Deaths, which often lag behind new cases by a matter of weeks, remained relatively stable. The state reported 40 more Illinoisans died of COVID-19 on Thursday, for an average of 22 deaths per day over the last week.

Daily COVID-19 deaths in Illinois:

As of Friday, 2,032 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, including 505 in intensive care and 214 on ventilators. Officials said 18 percent of hospital beds and 12 percent of ICU beds remain available across Illinois — for COVID patients and all others.

More than 17.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Illinois since they became available earlier this year, and, as of Friday, 58.2 percent of Illinoisans were fully vaccinated. More than 1.9 million booster doses have also been administered, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that all Americans get a booster shot to protect against the omicron variant.

"The recent emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19," said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky in a statement. "Early data from South Africa suggest increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, and scientists in the United States and around the world are urgently examining vaccine effectiveness related to this variant.

"I strongly encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible and to vaccinate the children and teens in their families as well because strong immunity will likely prevent serious illness," Walensky continued. "I also want to encourage people to get a COVID-19 test if they are sick. Increased testing will help us identify Omicron quickly."