SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois is among the nation’s best as it relates to COVID-19 testing since the pandemic began.
The state has now surpassed 5 million tests since the beginning of the pandemic and is currently averaging over 52,000 tests per day. Over the weekend, more than 74,000 tests were reported in a single-day, a new record.
“In a pandemic, widely available testing and faster results mean our people are safer,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
“I intend for Illinois to remain a leader in the fight against COVID-19, in part by making sure we are on the leading edge of technology and its proliferation throughout the state.”
Compared to the rest of the country, Illinois ranks third in the number of daily tests over the last week, behind only California and New York.
In addition, Illinois currently does three-and-a-half times the amount of testing than the average state and 50% more testing than the second highest state in the Midwest.
“Testing is a critical step in reducing the spread of the virus, because a positive test result begins the contact tracing process, which identifies who was exposed and needs to be quarantined to prevent further spread,” said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“Anyone can go [to a state testing site] to get tested. You don’t have to have symptoms, or a doctor’s referral order, and there is no cost to you for testing.”
The state and IDPH are continuing to look at new ways of testing, including the new saliva testing developed at the University of Illinois.
