Saturday live coronavirus updates: Region reports more than 400 cases, 12 deaths
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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.
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Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know on Saturday:
Coronavirus testing site to open in East St. Louis
A new coronavirus testing site is set to open in East St. Louis in an effort to increase testing in the metro-east.
State Sen. Chris Belt, D-Cahokia, and State Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, on Saturday announced the opening of a new COVID-19 testing site at the Windsor Health Center, 100 N. Eighth St.
In a joint statement, Belt and Greenwood announced through a partnership with the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation system that three testing locations, one of which is Windsor Health Center, will offer 470 test swabs per day starting early next week. Test swabs will be sent to Anderson Hospital in Madison County for processing.
The locations of the other two sites have yet to be announced.
“This pandemic has exposed the harsh and grim reality of subpar healthcare that has led to glaring comorbidity rates for citizens residing in impoverished communities, particularly for African Americans. Access to quality healthcare must be a right of every single person in this country, no matter their socioeconomic status or zip code,” Belt said.
“The governor listened to our request and he answered in making sure the citizens in East St. Louis and the surrounding communities received the necessary resources in obtaining access, testing and treatment during this crisis,” Greenwood added.
As of Friday, there were a total of 401 COVID-19 patients in Southwestern Illinois who have tested positive for the virus and 12 people who have died. Statewide, 17,887 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 596 have died.
More information on the testing site is expected to be announced Monday during a live stream on East St. Louis’ Facebook page www.facebook.com/estlcityhall.
Perry County reports first coronavirus case
The first case of coronavirus has been announced in Perry County, according to the county health department.
The individual diagnosed with COVID-19 is a woman in her 30s who, according to the health department, is believed to have acquired the virus through contact with an individual with a known or suspected case of the virus.
The woman is currently in quarantine.
In a statement, the health department said it is monitoring the patient with the Illinois Department of Public Health, local hospitals in Perry County and the county’s emergency management authorities.
As of Friday, 401 cases of COVID-19 and 12 virus-related deaths had been reported in Southwestern Illinois. In Illinois, 17,887 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 596 individuals have died from the virus.
$7 Million in meal assistance funds provided for Older Illinoisans
The Illinois Department on Aging announced Saturday it will distribute $7 million in meal assistance across the state to meet growing demand from older Illinoisans impacted by COVID-19.
The funds will be distributed across 46 Care Coordination Units across the state to support meal programs.
Local, state, nation, world cases totals
As of Friday, the latest statistics available showed:
- Southwestern Illinois: 413 COVID-19 patients, 12 deaths
- Illinois: 19,180 patients, 677 deaths
- U.S.: 496,535 patients, 18,586 deaths, 28,790 recovered
- World: 1,691,719 patients, 102,525 deaths, 375,499 recovered
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.
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
166 people test positive, nine deaths, 825 tests administered,106 tests pending
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62201 (East St. Louis, Sauget): 7
- 62203 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington Park, Caseyville): 6
- 62206 (Cahokia, Centreville, Sauget): 14
- 62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): 6
- 62208 (Fairview Heights, O’Fallon): 13
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 8
62221 (Belleville, Shiloh): 18
62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 14
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea, Shiloh): 26
- 62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): 8
62269 (O’Fallon, Shiloh): 18
MADISON COUNTY
107 positives, two deaths, 35 recovered
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 17
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 15
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 7
- 62035 (Godfrey): 7
- 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): 8
RANDOLPH COUNTY
39 positives, 19 recovered
ZIP code with patients:
- 62233 (Chester): 18
CLINTON COUNTY
33 positives, 141 tested, six recovered
ZIP codes with patients:
- 62265 (New Baden): 7
- 62801 (Centralia, with portion in Clinton County): 29
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
PERRY COUNTY
One positive
Cluster grows at Columbia nursing home
The novel 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 novel 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.”
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.
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 predominantly black community of the metro-east. Black communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Prior 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.
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.
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 11, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
