Tuesday live coronavirus updates: More Walgreens testing sites coming to Illinois
Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know on Tuesday:
Madison County announces first coronavirus-related death
An 86-year-old woman is the first COVID-19-positive patient to die from the disease in Madison County.
The Madison County Coroner’s Office notified the Madison County Health Department of her death on Tuesday afternoon, a news release from the county stated.
Details about possible pre-existing health conditions were not provided.
Monroe County announces first coronavirus-related death
A man in his 80s is the first COVID-19-positive patient to die from the disease in Monroe County.
Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner announced the man’s death on Tuesday afternoon.
Wagner did not provide details about whether the man had underlying conditions.
Illinois has largest single-day increase in deaths
Tuesday marked Illinois’ largest single-day increase in deaths due to the COVID-19 respiratory disease, including two metro-east residents.
There have been 73 deaths since Monday, bringing the death toll to 380, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during his daily news conference Tuesday. Included in that total are a woman from Madison County and a man from Monroe County, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.. Both metro-east residents were in their 80s.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, reported that 80% of the people who have died were at least 60 years old. But she noted that the state has seen people of all ages die during the coronavirus pandemic, including an infant in Chicago.
Memorial Hospital moving baby deliveries to Shiloh
Memorial Hospital Belleville is preparing for a “surge” of COVID-19 patients in the weeks and months ahead in part by moving baby deliveries to Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh, a spokeswoman said.
The measure started Monday, according to hospital spokeswoman Kendra Whittle, as the number of people infected with the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease, reached 210 in southwestern Illinois.
She said the emergency department in Belleville would still be staffed with trained labor and delivery nurses in case of an emergency and to safely transport pregnant women to Memorial East.
Governor releases statistics on hospital bed availability
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday that 3,680 people in Illinois are hospitalized; they had either tested positive for COVID-19 or they are suspected to have the disease.
As of Monday, 43% of the total hospital beds in the state were available, along with 35% of intensive care unit beds and 57% of ventilators, according to Pritzker.
He specifically mentioned the Edwardsville region, where he said “just 33%” of ICU beds were available. There are 105 total ICU beds and 70 are currently in use, the governor further stated in a news release. The state defines the Edwardsville region as an area of 18 health departments from Sagamon County to Randolph County.
Farther south in the Marion area, almost 76% of ICU beds are available.
More Walgreens testing sites coming to Illinois
Walgreens is working to expand free drive-thru testing for COVID-19 to 15 new sites in seven states, including Illinois, according to a statement on the company’s website. Exactly where those sites would be hadn’t been decided as of Tuesday.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced March 20 that it was working with Walgreens and Walmart to set up more testing sites in the hardest-hit areas of the state. The locations would help test senior citizens, first responders and health care workers, state officials said at the time.
Walgreens opened its first site March 21 in the Chicago area.
The company hopes to test up to 3,000 people each day across the 15 new sites, which are being chosen based on “escalating rates” of COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is helping decide where sites should be added, according to Walgreens.
Madison County to get $1.75M due to coronavirus relief law
Madison County announced Tuesday that it would be getting an added $1.75 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this year because of coronavirus relief legislation.
The extra funding is a result of the new Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, according to a news release from Madison County.
County leaders still need to decide how the money will be used within specific federal guidelines. A portion will be set aside for Granite City and Alton, specifically, the release stated.
East Side Health District announces fourth death in St. Clair County
A woman in her 70s from East St. Louis has become the fourth person to die in St. Clair County from complications from coronavirus, the East Side Health District announced Monday.
The woman, who had underlying health conditions, died Sunday, district spokesperson Linda Joiner said in a news release.
Her death brings the total of coronavirus-related deaths in St. Clair County to four. The East Side Health District covers four townships in the county: East St. Louis, Canteen, Centreville and Stites.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, President Trump trade barbs
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday repeated his criticism of the federal government’s level of assistance in the battle to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Pritzker’s comments followed President Donald Trump’s remarks on Sunday regarding Pritzker: “He has not performed well” and “He’s always complaining.”
State officials have not trusted the information they have received from the White House, Pritzker said during his daily news conference in Chicago.
He said his response to the “blame shifting coming out of the White House” is to tell Illinoisans to “look at the numbers.”
Pritzker said state officials have been working daily to obtain supplies such as ventilators, masks and gowns medical professionals need to treat COVID-19 patients.
For example, he said, the state has ordered nearly 10 million N95 masks.
Pritzker praised Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, Health and Human Services employees and military personnel who “know that their duty” is to help all residents of the country during the pandemic.
“These are all the people who are fighting like hell for Illinois even with one hand tied behind their backs by the White House,” he said.
Outdoor siren test canceled
The routine test of the outdoor warning siren system that usually is conducted on the first Tuesday of each month in St. Clair County has been canceled for Tuesday, April 6, to “avoid unnecessary panic from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response,” the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency said Monday.
The canceled tests include Belleville, Fairview Heights and O’Fallon, the agency said.
Ford Motor Co. donates 3,000 face shields to St. Elizabeth’s
HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital has received 3,000 FDA-approved plastic face shields from Ford Motor Co.
In a Monday news release, the hospital announced that the delivery was part of 10,000 total face shields the auto company has donated to nine hospitals in the HSHS Illinois system.
Ford announced on March 24 that it would manufacture face shields in the company’s Michigan plant to deliver to first responders, health care workers and others on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The transparent face shields fully block the face and eyes from accidental contact with liquids and, when paired with N-95 respirators, can be a more effective way to limit potential exposure to coronavirus,” the release stated.
Alton police shut down bar for violating executive order, mayor’s wife was in attendance
Police in Alton broke up a party at a bar early Sunday that Mayor Brant Walker’s wife had attended, the Alton Telegraph reported.
The party was at Hiram’s Tavern at 213 W. 3rd St. in Alton, the report stated. Police arrived to shut it down around 1 a.m.
Alton Police Chief Jason “Jake” Simmons told the newspaper that a criminal complaint of reckless conduct will be filed against each person at the party for violating the governor’s stay-at-home order that was issued amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Walker called his wife’s attendance at the party “a stunning lack of judgment,” the report stated.
Number of positive COVID-19 cases in southwestern Illinois reaches 237
Coronavirus cases in Illinois continue to increase, with a total of 233 in 10 counties as of Tuesday afternoon.
St. Clair County, which reported its first two cases March 14, announced Tuesday the county now has 94 cases, an increase of eight from Monday.
The county has announced four deaths related to the virus. Madison and Monroe counties announced their first deaths of COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, bringing the total in the region to six.
Here’s a breakdown of the cases in southwestern Illinois as of Tuesday afternoon:
St. Louis County coronavirus death toll rises to 14, city reports eighth death
The number of COVID-19-related deaths has risen to 14 in St. Louis County, according to county statistics released Monday.
That number was an increase of two since the county’s last coronavirus report on Sunday.
City of St. Louis officials have reported eight COVID-19-related deaths as of Monday evening.
St. Louis County on Sunday reported 14 new cases, the lowest daily total of new cases since March 21.
Overall, the county now has 985 coronavirus cases as of Saturday morning.
Here is information on the 14 patients who have died in St. Louis County since the pandemic reached the region:
Female, 50-59, with underlying medical conditions
Female, 80-89, with underlying medical conditions
Female, 60-69, with underlying medical conditions
Male, 80-89, with underlying medical conditions
Male, 50-59, unknown whether there were underlying medical conditions.
Male, 80-89, unknown whether there were underlying medical conditions.
Female, 80-89, with underlying medical conditions
- Male, 60-69, chronic underlying medical conditions
- Male, 60-69, chronic underlying medical conditions
- Male, 70-79, chronic underlying medical conditions
Female, 70-79, chronic underlying medical conditions
Male, 90-99, with underlying medical conditions
Female, 90-99, with underlying medical conditions
Male, 80-89, with underlying medical condition
Illinois coronavirus cases surpass 13,000, death toll hits 380
The number of coronavirus cases in Illinois has surpassed 13,000 and 73 additional deaths have been recorded, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday.
The death toll due to the pandemic was 380 as of Tuesday. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the department, said that 43 percent of coronavirus-positive patients who were surveyed reported that they had recovered seven days after their diagnosis.
The statewide total stands at 13,549 positive cases.
Postponed and canceled events
The News-Democrat has compiled a list of events in Illinois and St. Louis that have been canceled due to concerns about coronavirus.
You can find the list at BND.com.
Want to help? Here’s what you need to know
The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Go to BND. com to learn about the opportunities to volunteer your time or donate to help communities in the metro-east without putting yourself or others at risk.
You can sew face masks, read stories for people with vision loss and deliver meals to seniors.
If you know of a recognized charitable organization looking for help that isn’t listed, please tell us about it; send an email to newsroom@bnd.com or fill out the BND’s Southwest Illinois coronavirus service and assistance guide online at BND.com.
Get the latest news on coronavirus
BND.com will keep you updated through the day with information about the spread of coronavirus through southwestern Illinois.
You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:
▪ State of Illinois’ coronavirus page: coronavirus.illinois.gov
▪ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
▪ Federal government’s coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
How to contact the BND with tips, concerns
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the coronavirus pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
If you’re a health care worker, we’d like to hear from you
The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We’re interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
Recovering from COVID-19? The BND would like to talk to you
Have you recovered from coronavirus or are you in the process of recovering from COVID-19? We would like to hear from you on how you dealt with the respiratory disease. Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Tuesday live coronavirus updates: More Walgreens testing sites coming to Illinois."
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