By Rebecca Anzel
Illinois officials announced Tuesday the largest single-day increase of novel COVID-19-caused deaths in the State.
The 73 new fatalities in 14 counties: Champaign, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Ford, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, Tazewell, Will and Winnebago, bring Illinois’ total to 380. Coles, Lawrence, Richland and Shelby Counties each reported its first confirmed case of the virus Tuesday.
Coroners and medical examiners across the State may be conducting post-mortem tests to properly adjust that figure, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said.
She added 1,287 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the 24 hours from Monday afternoon. There were 13,549 cases in 77 counties.
The number of actual cases is likely higher, because testing is not widely available, governor JB Pritzker said. About 19% of the 68,732 residents tested for the virus in Illinois have tested positive, he said.
“I’ve said all along that this would get worse before it gets better, but speaking the truth in no way softens the blow when it does, in fact, get worse,” the governor said at his daily briefing in Chicago. “…It’s okay to let yourself feel all the pain that there is to feel today. I, too, am grieving, but I want you to know that my grief is only fueling my efforts to fight this virus and win.”
In an IDPH survey of those who received a positive COVID-19 test seven days ago, 43% responded they had already recovered, Ezike said, calling it “positive news.”
Pritzker added “these terrible numbers” should caution Illinoisans that the novel coronavirus pandemic is “deadly serious.” Residents should continue to follow the stay-at-home and social distancing orders, frequently wash their hands, sanitize regularly-used objects and surfaces and wear a face covering when going outside, the governor said.
The governor said he has not encouraged law enforcement personnel to enforce the stay-at-home order, clarifying that local governments largely have that discretion. Pritzker did say, however, that if people are widely not social distancing, “at some point it is worthy of considering a real consequence.”
Pritzker announced a member of his staff, someone who does not have regular contact with the governor or Ezike, has COVID-19. That person has been isolating at his or her home since feeling symptomatic March 26, and the Chicago office in the James R. Thompson Center had a “professional, multi-hour deep cleaning” at the time, Pritzker said.
The employee has been in self-isolation for 12 days and no other person from the office has shown symptoms, Pritzker said.
Neither he nor Ezike were tested for the virus, they confirmed.
Pritzker said his administration worked to increase the capacity at Illinois’ more than 200 hospitals since “the earliest days of COVID-19 response.”
There are just under 28,000 hospital beds across the State, about 2,700 of which are intensive care unit beds. These numbers do not account for the extra resources the State is building at its five alternative care facilities: McCormick Place in Chicago, Advocate Sherman Hospital Campus in Elgin, Metro South Health Center in Blue Island, West Lake Hospital in Melrose Park, and Vibra Hospital in Springfield.
As of Monday, 43% of hospital beds were available at Illinois facilities and 35% of intensive care unit beds were available. The governor’s office said 57% of the State’s 2,791 ventilators were available.
— Capitol News Illinois