CHICAGO (AP) - The number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Illinois shot up by nearly 5,400 but the state’s health department said on Friday that the largest one-day total since the pandemic began is not a signal of a dramatic spike in cases but the result of backlog of tests that officials discovered earlier this week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, in announcing the 5,368 newly diagnosed cases, also said that the number of tests had jumped by 149,273, a total that’s nearly three times greater than the previous one-day record set on Aug. 22.
Derek Lindblom, who heads the state’s testing team, explained that the state’s data processing system started working “slower than normal” on Tuesday and by the time the backlog was cleared Thursday afternoon, two days worth-of tests had accumulated.
“Even a short delay of a day or a day and a half in processing will lead to a significant increase in test reporting,” Lindblom said.
The health department also announced Friday that another 29 more coronavirus deaths, bringing the death toll for the state to 8,143.
According to the health department, the preliminary statewide percentage of total cases that have come back positive was 4.1 % from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3.
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