Illinois announces fifth person to die from coronavirus
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Illinois officials announced Friday that another person with coronavirus has died and 163 more people in the state have tested positive for it.
A total of five people in Illinois, all 50 years old or older, have now died after contracting the virus. The latest death was a Cook County woman in her 70s.
Statewide, a total of 585 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, as of Friday. Officials announced three new counties in central Illinois now have cases: Adams, Christian and McClean counties.
In the metro-east, there are still seven cases, across St. Clair, Madison and Clinton counties.
Nearby Washington, Jackson and Williamson counties each have one coronavirus case.
The other four people who have died after they were diagnosed with coronavirus include: a Will County man in his 50s; a Chicago woman in her 60s; an out-of-state resident in her 70s who was in Sangamon County; and a Cook County woman in her 80s.
New numbers were announced during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily news conference Friday.
The governor also told Illinois residents during the news conference they will have to stay in their homes under an order that takes effect Saturday. People will still be able to leave home for groceries, medicine, gas and to take walks outside, Pritzker said Friday. But the governor said people who can work from home should do so.
Officials have noted that the rising number of coronavirus cases is due in part to the increase in testing that is happening.
Drive-thru testing sites are being set up in Southern Illinois, including in Swansea, Centralia and Mount Vernon, for people who have been referred by a doctor for testing because they have coronavirus symptoms.
State officials said Friday that they are working with Walmart and Walgreens to set up more drive-thru testing in the hardest-hit areas of Illinois. Those locations would help test senior citizens, first responders and health care workers, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 3:33 PM.
