Friday live coronavirus updates: State spends $17M on masks that may be defective
Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know Friday:
Illinois spent $17M on masks that may be defective report says
The state of Illinois has paid nearly $17 million for KN95 face masks from China but the Illinois Department of Public Health has told health care workers not to use KN95 masks because of possible defects, according to a report from WGN television station in Chicago
“KN95 masks from China may not meet performance standards,” the Illinois Department of Public Health said in an alert.
“Counterfeit KN95 masks are reportedly flooding the marketplace,” the alert said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously has said the KN95 masks were an acceptable alternative for U.S. approved N95 masks, the television station reported.
Well-known Chester businessman dies with COVID-19
The patriarch of one of Southern Illinois’ largest and oldest family-owned businesses died Thursday from coronavirus complications, The Southern Illinoisan has reported.
Don Welge, 84, president and CEO of Gilster-Mary Lee, a family-held food manufacturer headquartered in Chester, died at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, according to his son, Tom Welge. Don Welge had been airlifted several weeks ago from Memorial Hospital in Chester as his condition deteriorated.
Tom Welge, a vice president and general counsel for the company, told the newspaper that family members were unable to be at his father’s side because of hospital restrictions on visitors, but that staff kept them updated and nurses who were with Don Welge said he died “peacefully.”
Don Welge was considered high-risk for COVID-19 complications because of his age, but he was otherwise healthy and had been working up until the time he went to Memorial, according to his son.
About half of employees at Gilster-Mary Lee’s executive office in Chester reportedly have tested positive for coronavirus or have been quarantined with possible symptoms, including Tom Welge, who described his symptoms as mild.
Illinois coronavirus cases see largest single-day increase during pandemic
The number of deaths in Illinois due to the coronavirus increased by 62 to a total of 1,134 statewide, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced on Friday.
The health department recorded 1,842 new cases of COVID-19 to bring the total number of cases to 27,575. The previous total of positive cases was 25,733.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the state health agency, said this was the largest single-day increase in positive cases this year.
“We do expect cases to rise,” Ezike said during her daily news conference in Chicago with Gov. J.B. Pritzker. “I don’t think we’ve peaked.”
Monroe County reports a 5th Garden Place resident dies in coronavirus pandemic
Monroe County on Friday announced that another resident from a Columbia assisted living facility has died during the coronavirus pandemic to bring the total number of deaths to five residents at the Garden Place center and a total of six in the county.
John Wagner, the director of the Monroe County Health Department said the sixth person who died in Monroe County was not connected to Garden Place.
Also, the Randolph County Health Department reported on Thursday the county’s first COVID-19-related death.
Other details of the latest deaths in Monroe and Randolph were not available.
This brings the total number of deaths in southwestern Illinois to 29.
The deaths in the region have occurred in St. Clair County, which has 17; Madison County, which has five; Monroe County has six; and Randolph County has one.
Drug shows promise in University of Chicago trials
A new report appears to show that some patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms who are participating in clinical trials at University of Chicago Medicine have responded to an antiviral drug called Remdesivir, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.
Early findings were revealed in a video obtained by Stat News that shows Kathleen Mullane, the infectious disease specialist in charge of the trials, telling fellow faculty members that patients with fevers and respiratory symptoms had recovered quickly after being given the drug.
The trials reportedly involve 125 coronavirus patients, 113 with severe symptoms. They examine the effects of both five- and 10-day courses of Remdesivir. In the video, Mullane said most patients were discharged from the hospital in less than a week. Two have died.
However, analyzing results of the trials could be complicated by the fact that there is no control group and none of the patients with severe symptoms was given a placebo to make comparisons, the newspaper reported.
Pritzker walks with penguins to highlight ‘social distancing’
As part of the All in Illinois campaign to promote messages aimed at stopping the coronavirus spread, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday released a video of him walking with penguins and checking out other wildlife at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
As he walks with the penguins, Pritzker says, “All right now, 6 feet apart everyone.”
The video on Pritzker’s Facebook page reminds Illinoisans to stay home, wash your hands and practice social distancing by keeping 6 feet away from others when you do have to go to a store.
Jackie-Joyner Kersee, an East St. Louis native who won medals in four Olympics, also has released a video in the All in Illinois campaign.
How is Illinois preventing nursing home outbreaks?
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said Thursday the state wants to use COVID-19 testing to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
“We have some aggressive measures that we are employing where we want to identify people who are the carriers,” Ezike said. “And of course, right now in congregate settings with visitation being essentially nil, it’s staff that probably are bringing in the virus. So we have an aggressive campaign for our congregate settings to try to test all of the staff that work in these settings.
“We think that if we can identify staff members who are positive — maybe they don’t know they’re positive — then we can get ahead of them potentially infecting the people that they’re charged to work with.”
It was the same day Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that the state’s testing capacity was increasing significantly.
Midwest governors work on when to reopen region’s economy
Governors in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Kentucky announced Thursday they are working together to decide when to reopen the regional economy in the Midwest.
In a news release, they identified at least four factors they will consider:
- Sustained control of the rate of new infections and hospitalizations.
- Enhanced ability to test and trace.
- Sufficient health-care capacity to handle resurgence.
- Best practices for social distancing in the workplace.
“Our No. 1 priority when analyzing when best to reopen our economy is the health and safety of our citizens,” the governors said in a statement. “We will make decisions based on facts, science and recommendations from experts in health care, business, labor and education.”
They said sectors of the economy would likely reopen in phases. In other words, everything will not reopen at once. The group of governors added that every state may not take the same steps at the same time.
“But close coordination will ensure we get this right,” they stated. “Over time, people will go back to work, restaurants will reopen and things will go back to normal. “
St. Louis County, state of Missouri extend stay-at-home orders
St. Louis County is extending its stay-at-home order, County Executive Sam Page said in a tweet Thursday. He said mid-May is when he will revisit the order asking people to largely remain inside and away from groups.
“We have made progress, but now is not the time to weaken the social-distancing policies that are working,” Page tweeted.
Later in the day, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the statewide stay-at-home order was also extending until May 3.
As of Thursday, Illinois’ stay-at-home order was set to expire May 1.
MetroBus adjusting to ridership, coronavirus
MetroBus announced Thursday that it is increasing frequency during hours of peak usage on Missouri routes so riders can practice social distancing.
These are the changes:
- The #70 Grand will operate every 12 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and every 20 minutes at all other times.
Nine MetroBus routes will operate every 15 minutes during select daytime hours, every 30 minutes at other times of the day, and every 30 or 60 minutes during the evening - #10 Gravois-Lindell; #11 Chippewa; #16 City Limits; #61 Chambers; #73 Carondelet; #74 Florissant; #90 Hampton; #94 Page; #95 Kingshighway.
Four MetroBus routes will operate every 20 minutes during select daytime hours, every 40 minutes at other times of the day, and every 40 or 60 minutes during the evening - #4 Natural Bridge; #32 Dr. ML King; #35 Rock Road; #40 N. Broadway.
Seven MetroBus routes will operate every 30 minutes during select daytime hours, every 60 minutes at other times of the day, and every 60 or 120 minutes during the evening - #34 Earth City; #60 Shepley Lilac; #76 McDonnell Waterford; #77 Village Square; #78 Bellefontaine; #79 Ferguson; #97 Delmar.
Updated schedule information is available at metrostlouis.org.
Testing site opens in East St. Louis
The first metro-east COVID-19 testing site in a predominantly black community opened Thursday.
Referred patients will be able to visit Touchette Regional Hospital’s drive-thru collection site at 100 N. 8th St. in East St. Louis to have a sample taken and tested for free. Eligible patients can access the testing site from the 9th Street parking lot entrance. Staff and Illinois State Police will help direct patients to the right place.
Patients must first pass screening with a clinician by calling 618-646-2596. The clinician will ask questions about symptoms, possible exposure, age, work environment and underlying health conditions. If a patient meets testing requirements, they will be given a time to visit the site the same day.
The screening line will be open until 2:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and collections will be taken from noon to 3 p.m. those days. Starting Monday, the screening line will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Testing hours will go from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Results will typically be available within a day.
Perry sheriff: Coronavirus shouldn’t keep people from worship
A southwestern Illinois sheriff wants people to know he is not going to stop them from attending drive-in church services during the stay-at-home order.
Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis said he is trying to balance residents’ First Amendment rights with public health restrictions and risks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pritzker’s mandatory stay-at-home order limiting gatherings is in effect until April 30.
“I’m not willing to enforce a governor’s order to the point that it violates a Constitutional right if there’s not a public safety issue,” Bareis said in an interview.
Bareis thinks people leaving home to listen to services from inside their car are still adhering to “the spirit” of the governor’s order because they are following its social-distancing guidelines. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease, spreads from person to person through coughs and sneezes. Experts recommend people stay at least 6 feet away from others.
National Guard soldiers working at local emergency management agency
Two Illinois National Guard soldiers are working out of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the county.
In a news release, Madison County said the soldiers are helping the Illinois Department of Public Health keep track of hospital capacity needs, including the number of ventilators and intensive care beds available.
The county has at least 694 hospital beds, 47 of which are ICU beds, according to the Illinois Hospital Report Card, which gathers data on hospitals.
As of Wednesday, 33 people diagnosed with the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus were hospitalized.
A total of 149 people in Madison County have had COVID-19, 56 of them have have recovered and five have died.
MidAmerica Airport is getting $3.6 million
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport will receive roughly $3.6 million in grant money being awarded to airports throughout Illinois that are struggling because of plummeting revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced that a total of $69.99 million will be dispersed to struggling airports through Federal Aviation Administration, including MidAmerica. The funds were authorized through the Coranvirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The funds are aimed to help airport operators meet “ongoing needs” and to manage ongoing construction projects. MidAmerica will receive $3,658,446.
Museum wants to preserve history of pandemic
The Madison County Historical Museum is seeking donations from the public of materials or stories related to the coronavirus pandemic they are living through.
Materials could include flyers, postcards, signs, emails, drawings or other items that document the crisis, according to Museum Director Jon Parkin. Even face masks that have been cleaned can be donated to the museum.
“We want to include the heroic efforts of first responders, the plight of victims, the effects on businesses, schools and cultural groups, and the creativity borne of isolation,” Parkin said in a news release.
For more information about how to donate, visit edwardsvillelibrary.org/teen-historian-challenge.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases by county
Here’s a breakdown of the coronavirus cases in southwestern Illinois as of Friday afternoon:
- St. Clair: 258 positives, 17 deaths, 82 hospitalized, 16 on ventilators 1,122 tests administered, 95 tests pending
- Madison: 161 positives, five deaths, 56 hospitalized, 67 recovered
- Monroe: 54 positives, six deaths
- Randolph: 51 positives, 32 recovered, one death
- Clinton: 42 positives, 199 tests administered, seven hospitalized, nine recovered
Washington: Five positive cases
- Macoupin: 16 positives, 188 tests administered, 10 recovered, seven pending
- Jersey: Eight positive cases, five recovered
- Bond: Four positives, two recovered, four pending
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovered
- Perry: One positive
Local, state, nation, world cases totals
As of Friday, the latest statistics available showed:
- Southwestern Illinois: 604 cases, 29 deaths
- St. Louis city: 766 cases, 28 deaths
- St. Louis County: 2,054 cases, 70 deaths
- Illinois: 27,575 cases, 1,134 deaths
- U.S.: 692,169 cases, 36,721 deaths
- World: 2,224,426 cases, 153,177 deaths
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 17, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
