Illinois reports 1,462 new confirmed COVID-19 cases

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois public health officials on Sunday reported 1,462 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths.

Overall, the state has had 261,371 confirmed cases and 8,309 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Sunday that 46,890 tests were performed in the past 24 hours. The average rate of positive cases over seven days is 3.7% across the state.

Health officials said there are 1,422 people in Illinois who are being hospitalized for COVID-19 with 136 people on ventilators.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and the infirm, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.