Daily lab results tripled over the last week thanks to an aggressive partnership between state, commercial and hospital labs and a supply chain boosted by state universities, such as SIU in Carbondale.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday announced 16,124 test results had been received in the last 24 hours, exceeding his stated goal of 10,000 results a day and tripling the 5,000 test results reported just a week ago.

Not surprisingly, as a result of increased testing, the state reported its highest increase in new cases with 2,724 new positive, bringing the total to 39,658 since the state began tracking the outbreak.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike reported an additional 108 deaths over the past 24 hours due to COVID-19. The state’s total now stands at 1,795 fatalities.

The governor noted that the rate of positive cases under this greatly expanded capacity was 17%, below the 21% the state has been averaging.

The governor credited the expanded testing to partnerships across the public and private sector to recognize the importance of increasing testing results, calling it the key to eventually loosening restrictions.

NorthShore University HealthSystems had the first hospital validated to run COVID-19 tests in the state. Gabrielle Cummings, president of the hospital group, said the hospital handles all internal case testing, offered lab services to neighboring hospitals and is supporting the ongoing state-run drive-thru specimen collection site in Chicago’s Harwood Heights.

One challenge has been keeping labs supplied with materials needed to do the testing. The governor again lauded the efforts of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois Tech, and the University of Illinois in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign for developing testing materials and assisting in procurement of testing swabs. For example, at SIU, a microbiology professor, other faculty and a team of students still on campus developed and manufactured needed testing medium to keep llinois labs supplied as the material has become sought after by labs across the country.

Pritzker said all of this has allowed the labs to more than double output and he expects the daily results to go even higher.

However, the governor urged caution when it comes to anti-body tests being marketed. He said there are no authenticated tests, and many have problems distinguishing between COVID-19 and other variations of the virus that might be the common cold.

The governor was asked if he thought professional baseball would be played in Chicago this summer.

“I hope so, but I don’t know,” he answered.

Reporters also asked about continued complaints about gig economy workers and freelancers being unable to tap into any unemployment benefits. The governor has promised a May 11 start date as the state is rushing to build a new system for this group of workers who previously didn’t qualify for unemployment.

Pritzker said gig workers should apply through the existing system and be rejected so that they are in the system. When the new system goes online in May, the existing application would then become eligible for re-validation.

The governor was asked about a downstate Republican House member filing a lawsuit to challenge his authority to take emergency actions.

“A lawsuit about whether or not this is an emergency is a political maneuver at a time when we probably shouldn’t be dealing with politics,” Pritzker said.

Another question asked for the governor’s reaction to claims that the Douglas County Sheriff won’t enforce the new order.

“I feel badly for the people of that county,” Pritzker said, noting that the sheriff’s action, or inaction, could lead to people becoming sick. He also urged people to do the right thing regardless of the sheriff.

The governor was asked what his new order changed for garden centers.

“Actually nothing. It just makes it more explicit,” Pritzker said. He said those businesses were never supposed to be off limits but got caught up in misunderstandings and rumors, so he spelled it out more explicitly in this one.

The governor was asked about the future for legislative sessions since his extended order means the General Assembly won’t meet before the May 31 deadline.

Pritzker said that’s not true, that the legislature is considered essential in the new order and that it is up to legislative leaders, in consultation with the Illinois Department of Public Health, to figure out a plan for returning.