SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois public health officials on Tuesday reported 5,644 newly confirmed COVID-19 infections and 106 new deaths.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported the new cases were confirmed from among 66,786 tests, placing the seven-day positivity rate to 7.4%. The number of hospitalized coronavirus patients totaled 4,313 late Monday.

Since March, the virus has claimed 16,179 lives statewide and infected about 948,000 people. About half the deaths can be tied to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Vaccination of Illinois nursing home residents began this week. They are first in line for the vaccine, along with medical workers. More than 112,000 people had been vaccinated statewide as of Dec. 24, according to public health officials.