By Jim Hagerty
Reporter

CHICAGO – There were 92 COVID-19-related deaths in Illinois Tuesday, 63 of which occurred in Cook County.

To date, 2,215 people in 96 Illinois counties have died from complications of the coronavirus disease. Officials have confirmed 50,355 cases of COVID-19 across the state as of Wednesday. That number includes people who tested positive for coronavirus, were presumed infected based on symptoms and those who have recovered.

There were 14,478 COVID-19 tests administered within the last 24 hours and 2,253 new cases. A total of 256,667 people have been tested statewide.

The Winnebago County Health Department has seen 403 cases in the last six weeks, including 14 fatalities. The local infection rate is currently about 17%. The state infection rate is approximately 16% as of this report.

The majority of those who have suffered COVID-related deaths have been older than 65; almost all have involved at least one comorbidity such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer and heart disease.

“This is not the time to give up on your diabetes, your hypertension, or your kidney disease,” Winnebago County Public Health Director Dr. Sandra Martell said. “You need to be managing this while preventing the transmission of COVID-19.”

Most people infected with the novel coronavirus show mild symptoms of COVID-19, things that resemble the flu. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in four people who are infected with the coronavirus do not show symptoms. This has led experts to believe asymptomatic carriers of the virus can spread it to others for up to two weeks. It also indicates that it has been spreading in the United States for several months and why coroners are re-examining pneumonia and other respiratory deaths from late last year for possible links to COVID-19.

Approximately 5% of cases are critical. The mortality rate is approximately 2-4%.