MIKE SANDROLINI PHOTOS
The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has risen sharply in Illinois and across the country recently, and COVID-19 testing sites around Lombard and Villa Park—like this site along North Avenue—have been very busy. This particular site (pictured Sunday, Jan. 2), which is located in the parking lot of Shalimar Banquets, offers free COVID-19 drive-thru testing. The DuPage County Health Department also offers testing at The Odeum Expo Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing is free, but limited tests are available each day. The Illinois Department of Public Health on Dec. 30 reported 128,246 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the state from Dec. 23 and Dec. 29. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity rate during that same period was 14.4 percent. On Dec. 30, the state set a new record for most new cases in a single day—30,386. Just over 16,000 cases were reported in DuPage County between Dec. 18 and Dec. 31.
