If anyone questions the validity of a spike in COVID cases, the latest statistics are particularly sobering.
Illinois set another daily COVID case record for 2021 while crossing 2 million confirmed cases so far in the pandemica milestone that isn't lost on health officials just days before the holiday, according to NBC Chicago.
On Dec. 23, the state stated almost 19,000 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus were reported within the previous 24 hours.
The state's daily average for new COVID cases over the last seven days has also risen to 12,573another new record since the pandemic began.
The state also recorded 78 additional deaths related to COVID on Dec. 23. Illinois is now averaging 53 deaths per day because of the virusthe highest average the state has seen since mid-February, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.
These figures come before Chicago and suburban Cook County's new mitigation measures that will be implemented Monday, Jan. 3. They will require proof of vaccination for indoor public spaces such as bars, restaurants, entertainment venues and gyms.