Coronavirus

St. Clair County has its first death from coronavirus as pandemic in Illinois worsens

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A woman in her 80s from St. Clair County died Friday of COVID-19, the first death in southwestern Illinois.

The woman had underlying health conditions.

St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern expressed condolences to the woman’s loved ones.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the latest victim of this virus,” Kern said in a prepared statement. “This is a tragic loss to our community and a reminder that no one is immune to COVID-19. Everyone, regardless of age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status can be infected if they are exposed to COVID-19. For this reason, everyone must protect themselves, their families, friends and colleagues by following the preventative measures and social distancing guidelines.”

As of Thursday, there were 13 confirmed coronavirus cases in St. Clair County, six in Madison, five in Clinton, one in Washington and three in Monroe.

In Illinois, the total amount of cases rose by 673 on Thursday, and seven new deaths were announced, according to Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In Illinois, there were 2,538 coronavirus cases and 26 deaths as of Thursday.

This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 1:28 PM.

Kelsey Landis
Belleville News-Democrat
Kelsey Landis is an Illinois state affairs and politics reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat. She joined the newsroom in January 2020 after her first stint at the paper from 2016 to 2018. She graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2010 and earned a master’s from DePaul University in 2014. Landis previously worked at The Alton Telegraph. At the BND, she focuses on informing you about what your lawmakers are doing in Springfield and Washington, D.C., and she works to hold them accountable. Landis has won Illinois Press Association awards for her work, including the Freedom of Information Award.
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Keep up with all the coronavirus news in southwestern Illinois

Stay updated with the events in southwestern Illinois that have been canceled or postponed because of coronavirus concerns.