The state of Illinois recorded their highest death total from COVID-19 on Tuesday; a day after recording their lowest total in nearly 10 days. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 176 additional deaths over the last 24 hours. 

Here in central Illinois, 18 new cases of COVID-19 were reported with 14 of them in Sangamon County and 3 in Macon. The area continues to report low case counts of the virus while negative tests continue to go up. There were 272 negative tests yesterday in the 7 counties of Christian, Montgomery, Shelby, Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie, and Fayette.  

In another sign that things are heading the right direction, the Christian-Montgomery Emergency Management Agency, or Chris-Mont EMA, announced that they would stop putting out press releases every day and only do them on Friday or when situations warrant themselves. 

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 2,122 new cases of COVID-19 including 176 new deaths which brings the total amount to 65,962 cases including 2,838 deaths in 97 of the 102 counties in Illinois. IDPH tested 13,139 people in the last 24 hours and overall have tested 346,286 people. Listen every afternoon at 2:30 for Governor Pritzker’s daily press conferences on the coronavirus on NEWSTALK WTIM and its many platforms and for the latest closings, cancellations, and businesses that are open visit Taylorville Daily News.