Wednesday live coronavirus updates: Illinois changes how it classifies deaths
Illinois adjusts how it classifies COVID-19 deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health will begin removing deaths with obvious other causes from its data of coronavirus deaths.
During Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s daily COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said that as the state looks through and cleans the data that has been reported to it by county health departments, it will weed out deaths with other comorbidities that are not related to the virus.
That means that people who happened to test positive for COVID-19 at the time of their death but were killed in other circumstances such as a motor vehicle accident or a homicide will not be counted among the deaths from the pandemic.
In cases where someone had underlying conditions, however, like cancer or cardiac diseases, those deaths will stand as coronavirus-related deaths among the state’s data, Ezike said, because it is “less clear that COVID disease didn’t play a part in hastening the death.”
When asked why the state is not following the lead of the Centers of Disease Control, which reports a death due to coronavirus about one to two weeks after it is confirmed, Ezike said IDPH reports deaths that are reported to it “really, pretty quickly.” Those are the deaths that have COVID-19 on the death certificate, she said.
“Sometimes after further review ... we would have to adjust those numbers,” she said.
Southwest Illinois lawmakers say Pritzker is too slow on removing COVID-19 limits
Democrats in southwestern Illinois broke ranks Tuesday with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and urged him to allow more businesses to reopen, a day after he doubled down on his gradual approach.
They asked the governor to allow retail shops, manufacturing, barbershops and salons to reopen with capacity limits and other precautions on Friday. Under the governor’s plan, the earliest they can return is May 29.
Data showing decreases in hospital admissions and infection rates in southern Illinois convinced metro-east lawmakers it would be safe to move from phase two to three in the governor’s plan this week.
Lawmakers who signed the letter include state Sens. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, and Christopher Belt, D-Centreville, and state Reps. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, and Nathan Reitz, D-Steeleville.
You can read more about the issue at bnd.com.
Madison County votes to reopen in defiance of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Madison County will begin its phased plan to reopen the county on Wednesday, officially going against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s statewide plan to reopen Illinois.
The Madison County Board of Health on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to approve the resolution, 27-2, becoming one of the first counties in Illinois to defy the statewide stay-at-home order.
The four-phase plan will begin Wednesday and stretch until late June.
Phase 1 allows nonessential travel to resume while advising against social gatherings of 10 or more people. Retail businesses may open with 25% occupancy and restaurants may have seated dining at a rate of 25% occupancy.
Before the vote, county Democrats came out against the plan Tuesday afternoon in a news release, calling it dangerous and risky for small businesses.
You can read more about this issue at bnd.com.
Gateway Regional to resume some services previously postponed due to COVID-19
Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City will resume services that had previously been restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital announced Wednesday.
A phased reactivation began May 11 in accordance with Illinois Department of Health guidelines, a news release stated.
“Like so many hospitals across the country, we have focused our services on the pandemic while managing the financial pressures associated with pausing elective procedures,” said Patrick Garvey, Interim CEO of Gateway Regional Medical Center. “But unlike hospitals in more populated regions, we have treated very few COVID-19 cases and look forward to resuming our full range of essential services.”
The hospital’s reactivation plan will include resuming surgical procedures, ambulatory surgery center, outpatient clinics, lab services, primary care clinics and behavioral health units, according to the release.
Imaging centers will resume May 18.
To meet state guidelines and requirements on personal protective equipment supply, infection control and support services, patients receiving surgical procedures must test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of a scheduled procedure and self-quarantine until the day of surgery after being tested.
Collinsville says it will continue to obey executive orders
After the Madison County Board of Health voted to reopen the county against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive stay-at-home orders Tuesday, the City of Collinsville has announced it will not do the same.
“We are deeply sympathetic with those suffering the emotional, physical, social, and economic impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic; however, the City must place the safety of our residents, businesses, and visitors as our top priority during these unprecedented times,” a news release from City Manager Mitch Bair said Wednesday.
The city has urged its businesses to comply with Pritzker’s executive orders for the safety of employees and customers, and said that if a business chooses to deviate from the orders, it “should consult with their legal counsel prior to taking any formal or informal action that would conflict with the executive orders, as that could create liability exposure to that business.”
Granite City Mayor warns businesses to consult with counsel before reopening
In the wake of Madison County’s decision to reopen in spite of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive stay-at-home orders, the mayor of Granite City has warned businesses planning to reopen that they may face legal repercussions.
In a social media post, Ed Hagnauer said that he participated in conference call Wednesday morning with Pritzker to discuss the issue of reopening.
“There is a possibility of consequences to our businesses and community for not continuing to abide by the Executive Orders issued by the Governor,” Hagnauer said in the post.
He urged businesses to consult with their legal counsel and insurance providers on their options, liabilities and protections for any potential reopening.
Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons noted that the board’s resolution is not an act of law, however.
“The resolution does not have legal effect,” Gibbons said. “It has no enforceability. It can’t be enforced against someone, it can’t be enforced by someone. No business can take that resolution to court and win a case on it.”
Hagnauer added at the end of the post, “The City of Granite City will continue to abide by the Executive Orders and take action on criminal complaints as necessary.”
Fauci says ‘consequences could be really serious’ if states reopen too quickly
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Tuesday in a Senate hearing that “the consequences could be really serious” if the country’s economy reopens too quickly amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press reported.
Fauci, who is self-quarantining because a White House staffer had tested positive for COVID-19, spoke via video conference before the Senate Health, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Before the hearing, Fauci told The New York Times that Americans would experience “needless suffering and death” if the country opens up prematurely.
“If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to ‘Open America Again,’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country,” he said in an email. “This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.”
The Times notes that these comments were at odds with the “things are looking up” argument that President Trump makes that states are ready to reopen.
Illinois granted more than half a million dollars for telehealth services
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services granted Illinois $586,159 to seven state organizations to increase telehealth capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award was funded through the CARES Act enacted by President Donald Trump on March 27.
“These investments will train students, physicians, nurses, physician assistants, allied health and other high-demand professionals in telehealth,” the department stated in a news release Wednesday. “This will enable these professionals to maximize telehealth for COVID-19 referrals for screening and testing, case management, outpatient care, and other essential care during the crisis.”
Of the Illinois programs that received the grants, there was one in southern Illinois at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.
U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois extends grand jury suspension
The U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois has extended the suspension of the grand jury in the district until June 8.
On Wednesday, Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengal issued an administrative order to extend the amendment that was put in place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The order affects the district courthouses in East St. Louis and Benton.
State says lower numbers on the weekend are due to delays
The Illinois Department of Public Health said Tuesday that the reason it has been reporting lower numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths on the weekend are due to a multitude of factors.
In an email to the BND, the state said those factors include fewer specimens collected, delays in lab testing and reporting and delayed data entry by those reporting the data, like labs, hospitals, health departments and coroners.
On Monday, the state reported its lowest number of new cases since April 20 and lowest number of new deaths since April 19, but those numbers were especially low because IDPH did not receive reports from several of the big labs that usually report to it, the email stated.
That delay was the reason Tuesday saw the single biggest daily increase in new case numbers since the pandemic began, the email stated.
Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases
Since the pandemic began, a total of 1,832 people in the region have tested positive for COVID-19 and 129 have died.
Here are the statistics for southwestern Illinois counties as of Wednesday:
- St. Clair: 788 positives, 64 deaths, 4,016 tests administered, 26 tests pending
- Madison: 456 positives, 35 deaths, 85 hospitalizations, 190 recoveries
- Clinton: 148 positives, 13 deaths, 768 tests administered, five hospitalizations, 41 recoveries
- Monroe: 83 positives, 11 deaths, 29 recoveries
- Washington: 16 positives, 14 recoveries
- Randolph: 237 positives, three deaths, 1,188 tests administered, five hospitalizations, 159 recoveries
- Bond: Eight positives, one death, 140 tests administered, six tests pending, three recoveries
- Jersey: 18 positives, one death, 10 recoveries
- Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
- Macoupin: 39 positives, one death, 877 tests administered, 22 tests pending, three hospitalizations, 28 recoveries
- Perry: 38 positives, 18 recoveries
Nation, world coronavirus cases
According to data from John Hopkins University, this is how many people have been affected by COVID-19 across the nation and world as of 6 p.m. Wednesday:
- United States: 1,388,002 people tested positive; 230,287 people recovered; 82,356 people died
- World: 4,330,982 people tested positive; 1,538,388 people recovered; 295,671 people died
Want to help? Here are some ideas
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
Who to call about mental health
Here are some resources from mental health professionals for anyone struggling during the coronavirus pandemic:
- Touchette Regional Hospital’s Mental Health Support and Resource Line to talk to trained therapy staff: call 618-482-7158
- Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm to text with a mental health care professional for free: text the word “talk” to 552020.
- Centerstone of Illinois, Inc. for virtual mental health services: call 618-462-2331.
- Chestnut Health Systems for virtual mental health services: call 618-877-4420.
- Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous for virtual meetings: call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com.
- Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer response team’s Support Line for health care professionals: call 618-381-5173.
Contact 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.
We’d like to hear from health care workers
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.
Willing to share your COVID-19 story?
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 May 13, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Wednesday live coronavirus updates: Illinois changes how it classifies deaths."
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