Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker renews calls for tests, supplies as coronavirus spreads
Correction: A previous version of this story stated Randolph County had 4 cases.
The number of positive COVID-19 in the state of Illinois has reached 5,057.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the state has also had a total of 73 coronavirus-related deaths, an increase of eight from the day before. One of those people was an inmate at Stateville Correctional Facility near Chicago, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said.
Twelve more men who are inmates at the facility have been hospitalized, including several requiring ventilators, the department said. There are 77 more incarcerated individuals with symptoms who are isolated at the facility and 11 staff members are also being isolated.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced during a Monday news conference that hospitals in Madison and St. Clair were two of the counties that would receive new stocks of personal protective equipment, or PPE, sent in from the federal government this week.
During the conference, Pritzker again criticized the federal government for not fulfilling its promises of providing enough PPE and tests. He mentioned that while Illinois received masks from the government in the latest shipment, they were not the N95 masks he had asked for and which medical experts say protect health care workers on the front lines.
Pritzker asked Illinois businesses to donate any medical supplies to local health departments and asked citizens to continue efforts of helping each other, whether that is donating money to nonprofit organizations, sewing face masks or following social distancing guidelines.
The number of COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois has increased to 72, according to state and local statistics on Monday.
Here’s a breakdown of the cases:
- St. Clair County: 41, two deaths
- Madison County: 16
- Clinton County: 6
- Monroe County: 4
- Washington County: 1
- Randolph County: 2
- Bond County: 2
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 3:02 PM.
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