Kemp insisted Wednesday that other markers he is watching paint a different picture.

Georgia was among the first states to ease pandemic restrictions this spring, and while infections declined for weeks afterwards, they began to rise in June and peaked in late July.

The report from the White House coronavirus task force says Georgia had 216 new cases per 100,000 residents last week, compared to the national average of 112 new cases per 100,000 residents.

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is touting a University of Illinois saliva test as a potential “game changer” in the fight against the new coronavirus.

The test involves spitting into a test tube and can yield results in hours. University officials say the test has received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The university has performed more than 50,000 tests since making it available to faculty, staff and students last month. The university expects to test 20,000 people daily when the fall semester begins next week.

Pritzker says there is potential to use it statewide, particularly for K-12 schools.

The news came as Illinois reported 2,295 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 25 deaths. Overall, the state’s tally of confirmed cases is 211,889, including 7,806 deaths.