Friday live coronavirus updates: New testing site to open in southwestern Illinois
Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know on Friday:
Types of 911 calls St. Clair County gets
Candis Cross, manager for St. Clair County’s 911 system, said Friday that the volume of 911 calls coming in has decreased overall during the coronaviris pandemic. But dispatchers are hearing more about certain types of emergencies now, according to Cross.
“We’re receiving more calls of domestic violence,” Cross said during St. Clair County’s daily briefing on Facebook. “We’re receiving more medical calls with citizens having flu-like symptoms or having signs of having the coronavirus. We’re receiving more calls about depression, anxiety attacks and people having suicidal thoughts.”
People can call 911 to get help if they feel suicidal or if they know someone who does. Another option is calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or sending a text message to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Cross said dispatchers have also been receiving 911 calls about people violating Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, which is in effect until April 30.
Expiration dates for Illinois driver’s licenses extended
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced his office will extend expiration dates for driver’s licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations and other transactions and document filings for at least 90 days after driver services facilities reopen.
The facilities will remain closed until at least April 30. The previous extension was only for 30 days.
“Extending expiration dates by at least 90 days after driver services facilities reopen is the right thing to do,” White said. “It will ensure driver’s licenses, ID cards and vehicle registrations remain valid during this pandemic and will help alleviate the rush of customers visiting facilities once they reopen.”
People can still conduct some transactions online at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.
Confirmed cases by ZIP code
Here’s a breakdown of the coronavirus cases in southwestern Illinois as of Friday.
The information came from two sources. The total number of people to test positive, deaths, tests administered and patients to recover are released by the county health departments. Specific ZIP codes with more than five COVID-19 patients are reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
156 people test positive, nine deaths, 806 tests administered, 117 tests pending
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62203 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington Park, Caseyville): Six
- 62206 (Cahokia, Centreville, Sauget): 11
- 62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): Six
- 62208 (Fairview Heights, O’Fallon): 12
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): Seven
62221 (Belleville, Shiloh): 18
62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 14
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea, Shiloh): 21
- 62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): Eight
62269 (O’Fallon, Shiloh): 16
MADISON COUNTY
107 positives, two deaths, 35 recovered
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 16
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 13
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): Six
- 62035 (Godfrey): Seven
- 62040 (Grantie City, Pontoon Beach, Madison): 20
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park): 12
MONROE COUNTY
43 positives, one death
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62236 (Columbia): 23
- 62298 (Waterloo): 17
- 62278 (Red Bud): Eight
RANDOLPH COUNTY
37 positives, 17 recovered
ZIP code with patients:
- 62233 (Chester): 18
CLINTON COUNTY
33 positives, 141 tested, six recovered
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62265 (New Baden): Seven
- 62801 (Centralia, with portion in Clinton County): 24
MACOUPIN COUNTY
13 positives, 130 tested, three recovered
JERSEY COUNTY
Five positives, three recovered
BOND COUNTY
Four positives, 30 tested, one recovered
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Two positives, 22 tested, two recovered
CALHOUN COUNTY
One positive
Cluster grows at Columbia nursing home
The new coronavirus has now spread to 24 people who live or work at a Monroe County assisted living facility for seniors.
The cluster of cases at Garden Place Columbia has grown from two residents and one employee on Wednesday to 16 residents and eight employees on Friday.
Six of the residents who tested positive for COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, are hospitalized, according to the health department.
Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner said another six tests out of Garden Place are pending, so more cases could be reported later.
Amira Fahoum, a spokeswoman for Compass Senior Living, which owns Garden Place, said 66 residents live at the Columbia facility, which means 24% of the seniors there have COVID-19.
Illinois facilities for disabled seeing cases
The Illinois Department of Human Services has conducted hundreds of coronavirus tests at its seven facilities for people with developmental disabilities in the past week, yielding positive results for 112 residents and 43 employees.
The confirmed cases include 17 residents and six employees at Warren G. Murray Developmental Center in Centralia, the third-largest facility in the state with 241 residents and 559 employees.
Bartelso resident Rita Winkeler, president of Murray Parents Association, said COVID-19 testing at Murray started April 3 with a resident of Grape Cottage, a young man, who had developed a slight fever. He was the first of 17 residents to test positive.
“They’re all living in the same unit, but none of them are really sick,” Winkeler said Wednesday. “It’s good. It’s wonderful. But that’s what’s really bad about this virus. You can have it and not really have any symptoms.”
St. Clair County animal shelter cleared
Two area animal shelters helped empty the kennels at St. Clair County Animal Services this week to prepare for a potential need for emergency intake, according to a news release from Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis.
The National Animal Control Association urged shelter workers to clear their kennels to make way for animals needed emergency shelter, said Jamie Case, executive director of Gateway Pet Guardians.
A total of 41 animals were transferred from the county shelter to the Belleville Area Humane Society and Gateway Pet Guardians. Only eight cats remained at the county shelter for pest control purposes. A caretaker will continue to provide them with food and water.
The organizations urged resident to foster and adopt. For more information, visit their websites at www.gatewaypets.org, www.bahspets.org and www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/animalServices.
Testing site to open at Touchette Regional Hospital
A new COVID-19 rapid testing site could open as soon as next week at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville, said state Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis.
Greenwood said she and state Sen. Chris Belt, D-Cahokia, worked together to push for a site in the predominately African-American community of the metro-east. Black communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Prior to to COVID, we had already been aware that we had a significant health care disparity,” Greenwood said. “We’re hoping to get that (site) up and running so we can address the issue at hand right now.”
In St. Louis, all 12 individuals killed by coronavirus were black, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
How many patients recover?
The state of Illinois and counties across southwestern Illinois have been releasing public health information related to the COVID-19 pandemic such as the number of coronavirus tests given, positive cases recorded and the death toll.
But area residents have taken note of one question not being answered by St. Clair County or the Illinois Department of Public Health: How many recover from COVID-19?
“The definition of ‘recovered’ varies — in some cases, it is when the person is out of quarantine, in others, it is when they are a week past three days fever free,” Jan E. Nevois, director of administration for the St. Clair County Health Department, said in an email to the Belleville News-Democrat. “Due to the ambiguity involved in the definition, St. Clair County is not tracking this statistic.”
Seven counties — Madison, Clinton, Washington, Randolph, Bond, Jersey and Macoupin — recently started releasing the number of recovered COVID-19 patients in their jurisdictions. The Macoupin County Health Department listed the statistic in its daily report on Facebook on Thursday, a day after the BND asked whether the number was going to be reported.
In an email to the BND, a representative of the Illinois Department of Public Health said the department is collecting results of surveys sent to COVID-19 patients to see how many people recovered.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, has announced results of the survey at least twice this month during her daily news conferences with Pritzker.
St. Clair County announces ninth death
Another COVID-19 death was reported Friday in St. Clair County, where the number of people to test positive for the respiratory disease has more than tripled since April 1.
The woman who died was in her 90s and had underlying health conditions, according to the health department. It was the ninth death the county has reported.
St. Clair County recorded 41 new COVID-19 patients on Friday. Their age ranges are 30 to 90.
Those new patients brought St. Clair County’s total to 156 residents who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, up from 50 just nine days ago.
Institute forecasts coronavirus deaths in Illinois is nearing its peak
A research group forecasting COVID-19 infections and deaths across the country has estimated that Illinois will reach its peak on Sunday while also reducing its estimate on how many in the state might die from the virus.
Maintaining social distancing standards for several more weeks, however, remains key to maintaining the trend it is projecting.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected earlier this week that if full social distancing takes place through May, 1,588 Illinois residents would die from COVID-19 by Aug. 4, a steep drop from the 3,386 deaths by Aug. 1 it predicted only a week ago.
On the peak day, Sunday, April 12, which is Easter Sunday, the group estimates there will be 91 COVID-19 deaths in Illinois.
In southwestern Illinois, as of Wednesday, a total of 294 cases of coronavirus had been reported, up 57 from Tuesday’s total. Statewide, 462 people have died from the virus as of Wednesday.
Health officials say Illinois is flattening coronavirus curve, but urges caution
Dr. Ngozi Ezike Appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, pleaded with anyone holding out from social distancing and staying at home to do so in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.
While trends indicate that new infections are slowing and forecast models indicate that Illinois is nearing its peak for new cases and deaths, Ezike used her time during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily press briefing to warn that now is not the time to relax social distancing standards and stay-at-home rules.
“It’s irresponsible to not take the necessary precaution to protect not only yourself but the people around you,” she said. “I’ve heard of people saying ‘oh I’m young, I’ll be fine,’” she said. “That’s not enough because while you might be fine the person you might infect may not be fine.”
Ezike, after reporting 66 additional deaths and 1,344 coronavirus cases in Illinois, said that Illinoisans should continue to take extra precautionary steps to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
“The guidance remains the same,” Ezike said. “We know that anybody can catch this virus which means anyone can transmit it.”
She said those who believe that they or their significant others are not at risk to think of the possible deaths further spread of COVID-19 could cause.
“To the few who think that this is not something to act on, think beyond yourself and think beyond your immediate family,” she said. “If you think that nobody is at high risk remember that there are those who contract that virus from your could literally end their lives.”
Illinois State Police, ministers want you to stay home for Easter to fight coronavirus
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly and church ministers on Thursday urged all people of faith to obey Pritzker’s order to stay at home this week of Easter and Passover to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that has caused 462 deaths across the state as of Wednesday.
Bishop Henry Phillips of the Power of Change Christian Church in Cahokia said religious leaders and their followers need to break traditions this week and stay home to help save lives.
Phillips and three other ministers spoke during a news conference at the Illinois State Police District 11 headquarters in Collinsville. They suggested residents watch religious services online this week instead of gathering in places of worship.
Easter and Passover are important occasions usually marked with large crowds but Phillips said, “With COVID-19, those traditions have to be broken.”
“It’s not as many have said, ‘Well, this is the state impeding upon the church.’ This is not an issue of separation of church and state. It’s a separation of life and death,” Phillips said.
Missouri schools to remain closed through end of school year
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced all public and charter school will remain closed through the end of the school year.
Parson initially ordered all schools to close on March 21 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“We are ordering all Missouri public and charter schools to remain closed through the remainder of the academic year with the exceptions of nutrition and child care services that are outlined in our recent health order,” he wrote in a Facebook post.”
The Archdiocese of St. Louis also announced in-person classes would be canceled through the end of the semester as well.
Illinois coronavirus cases surpass 17,000, death toll hits 596
The number of coronavirus cases in Illinois has surpassed 17,000 and 68 additional deaths have been recorded for a total of 596deaths, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday.
The statewide total stands at 17,887 positive cases. There have been 87,527 coronavirus tests conducted across the state as of Friday.
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.
BND reporter Lexi Cortes contributed to this article.
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Friday live coronavirus updates: New testing site to open in southwestern Illinois."
