How are COVID-19 deaths recorded? The Illinois Department of Public Health says they report initially what is on the death certificate. 

But after a few days, they go back and make sure that even if a person had a positive test for coronavirus that the virus was connected to their death and it wasn’t for another circumstance.

That’s the IDPH Dir. Dr. Ngozi Ezike. She reported on Tuesday that the state had conducted more than 20,000 COVID-19 tests in a 24-hour period. The state calls it an important milestone in the fight against the virus and important as Illinois tries to reopen the economy.