Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says Anderson Hospital will conduct coronavirus tests
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday three locations within the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation System will soon begin collecting hundreds of specimens per day for coronavirus testing.
“We’re thinking seriously about where and how these tests are available, and to whom,” Pritzker said.
Those specimens will go to Anderson Hospital in Maryville for testing. They could receive as many as 470 specimens per day starting next week.
“I can’t thank them enough,” the governor said. “No community is getting through this alone. The fastest way through is maximizing our resources across Illinois and these hospital labs are stepping up to make that happen.”
A spokesman for the health care system said they should receive three testing machines at the beginning of next week. The machines have to be calibrated, and then the system has to wait for test kits to arrive. Once everything is in place, the system will announce where specimen collection will take place.
State Sen. Chris Belt, D-Cahokia, said he hopes the sites will be in Belleville, Cahokia and East St. Louis.
A 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 Belt 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.”
Pritzker said hotel rooms are available in the metro-east in case they are needed to house COVID-19 patients who do not require intensive care.
The St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency has agreements with four hotels in the O’Fallon area to house those patients or first responders if necessary, said Director Herb Simmons. Local county health departments will make decisions about whether those hotels are needed, Pritzker said.
Statewide, there were a total of 17,887 cases, including 596 deaths, as of Friday afternoon.
Coronavirus numbers in southwest Illinois
Here’s a breakdown of the coronavirus cases in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday afternoon. These numbers are updated by 4 p.m. daily at bnd.com. ZIP codes with five or fewer confirmed cases are not reported by the State of Illinois or local county health departments.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
115 positive cases, eight deaths, 743 tested, 127 pending
ZIP codes with positive cases:
- 62206 (East St. Louis): 10
- 62208 (Fairview Heights): 12
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 7
62221 (Belleville, Shiloh): 16
62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 14
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea, Shiloh): 18
- 62269 (O’Fallon, Shiloh): 16
- 62258 (Mascoutah): 7
MADISON COUNTY
99 cases, two deaths, 27 recovered
ZIP codes with positive cases:
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 14
- 62035 (Godfrey): 6
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 12
- 62040 (Granite City, Pontoon Beach, Madison): 19
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park): 10
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 6
CLINTON COUNTY
32 positive cases, 128 tested, 6 recovered
ZIP codes with positive cases:
- 62265 (New Baden): 7
MONROE COUNTY
33 positive cases, one death
ZIP codes with positive cases:
- 62236 (Columbia): 18
- 62298 (Waterloo): 15
- 62278 (Red Bud): 8
WASHINGTON COUNTY
2 positive cases, 22 tested, 2 recovered
RANDOLPH COUNTY
32 positive cases, 11 recovered, 172 tested
ZIP code with positive cases:
- 62233 (Chester): 18
BOND COUNTY
4 positive cases, 30 tested, 1 recovered
JERSEY COUNTY
5 positive cases, 3 recovered
MACOUPIN COUNTY
12 positive cases, 125 tested, 3 pending, 2 recovered
CALHOUN COUNTY
1 positive case
This story was originally published April 10, 2020 at 3:52 PM.
