Illinois Health Officials Provide ‘Recovery Rate’ Data for COVID-19 Cases

In recent days, Illinois health officials have begun posting a “recovery rate” on their coronavirus data website, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker discussed the new addition to the state statistics on Wednesday.

During his daily coronavirus press briefing, Pritzker said that the percentage was designed to relay the message that a COVID-19 diagnosis “is not a death sentence,” and that a vast majority of individuals who test positive for the disease recover.

“What we’re trying to do is to make sure that people understand that when you get COVID-19, it’s not a death sentence,” Pritzker said. “In fact, about 80 percent of people who get COVID-19 experience mild-to-moderate symptoms, then recover. It’s really 20 percent or so that get it and have something more serious.”