Friday live coronavirus updates: IDPH releases Phase 4 guidance for swimming facilities

IDPH licensed swimming facilities can open at 50% capacity

Under Phase 4 of the coronavirus disease Restore Illinois plan, swimming facilities licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health can open at a maximum of 50% of capacity. This includes swimming pools, water parks, splashpads, and beaches.

“There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to people through the water in pools and water playgrounds,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “However, the virus can still spread between people while in the pool, playing at a water park, or in a spa. Make sure to keep your distance from other people, especially if waiting in line or sitting around the pool.”

Swimming facilities are required to have plans that address maintaining physical distance for areas where people line up to use a water slide, lazy river, or other water features. This can include putting up signs, having attendants monitor people, or using markings. The plan must also address sanitization of all equipment, such as rafts, tubes, and lounge chairs. These must be sanitized between each use.

Operators should limit group sizes to no more than 50 people. Operators, employees, and customers should wear face coverings when not swimming or using other water features. Exceptions can be made for children younger than two years or people with medical conditions or disabilities that prevent them from safely wearing a face covering.

Pools and water parks should require temperature checks for employees and customers when entering the facility, as well as in-person screenings to verify individuals do not have symptoms of COVID-19.

Want to fly Allegiant Air? Better be ready to wear face mask

Allegiant Air passengers required to wear face masks during all phases of travel.

The company announced a stronger face mask policy Friday after the United States reported a record 40,000 coronavirus cases the day before. Florida recorded nearly 9,000 cases of the virus on Friday, its highest single-day total.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, in concert with CDC guidance and medical experts, we have adopted a wide range of policies and procedures to ensure our customers can fly with confidence — from utilizing state-of-the art cleaning and disinfection technologies to providing complimentary Health and Safety Kits to all who travel with us,” said Allegiant Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Sheldon.

Allegiant says customers can bring their own mask or face covering, otherwise they will be provided with a mask. The masks can be removed to eat or drink, but must otherwise be worn at all times, including at the ticket counter, in the gate area, during boarding and on the aircraft during the flight.

Children ages 2 and under or travelers with disabilities or documented medical conditions are not required to wear them. Allegiant workers are supposed to wear masks when they interact with customers.

For more information on Allegiant’s health and safety program, visit www.allegiantair.com/going-distance-health-safety.

Coronavirus cases continue rise nationally

(AP) The number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections in the U.S. per day soared past the previous high of 36,400, set on April 24, during one of the deadliest stretches in the crisis so far, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The average number of new cases per day has risen about 60 percent over the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis.

While the increase is believed to reflect, in part, greatly expanded testing, experts say there is ample evidence the virus is making a comeback, including rising deaths and hospitalizations in parts of the country, especially in the South and West.

Deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are down to around 600 per day, compared with about 2,200 in mid-April. Despite the rise in cases, some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level, because of advances in treatment and prevention and also because a large share of the new infections are in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive.

The virus is blamed for 124,000 deaths in the U.S. and 2.4 million confirmed infections nationwide, by Johns Hopkins’ count. But U.S. health officials said the true number of Americans infected is about 20 million, or almost 10 times higher. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to a half-million lives, according to Johns Hopkins.

Also of note, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all bars closed, while Florida banned alcohol consumption at all such establishments. Together the two states joined the small but growing list of those that are either backtracking or putting any further reopenings of their economies on hold because of comeback by the virus.

O’Fallon church offering COVID-19 drive-thru testing

New Life in Christ Church in O’Fallon, 689 Troy Scott Road, is teaming up with the state of Illinois to offer free COVID-19 drive-thru testing to metro-east residents from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 28.

“Despite calls from the White House to limit testing for this unpredictable and deadly virus, we wanted to make sure our members and local residents have access to this vital service,” said Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley, Sr., New Life in Christ’s senior pastor. “We’re excited to support the state of Illinois in this community effort, especially since it appears that COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise again nationally.”

Testing is free and open to anyone, including children, who must be accompanied by their parent, legal guardian or consenting adult.

Those seeking a test will remain in their cars and drive through two designated check points to be swabbed. Participants with insurance should bring their cards with them, however insurance is not required to be tested. For more information, call 618-632-6542.

Madison County to start holding meetings in-person again in July

Madison County will hold in-person meetings again starting next month, said Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said.

“If we are asking employees to return to work then those elected by the people should also return,” he said.

The Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold the first meeting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, July 2, in the County Board Room.

The Madison County Board meets the third Wednesday of each month and committee meetings are held at various times throughout the month.

Due to social distancing restrictions and the number of people who can attend, the county will continue its live streaming on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/madisoncountyil. Public comments for committees must be received 24 hours in advance at public@co.madison.il.us.

Prenzler said as long as there is space available to maintain social distancing members of the public would be allowed to attend meetings.

“People with health issues or concerns should not come, but they can still listen remotely,” Prenzler said.

Illinois Department of Public Health Expands Newborn Screening

SPRINGFIELD — Beginning Monday, June 29, the Illinois Department of Public Health will test every baby born in Illinois for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. SMA is a group of hereditary diseases that progressively destroys motor neurons — nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord that control essential activities such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy.

When there are disruptions in the signals between motor neurons and muscles, the muscles gradually weaken and begin wasting away.

“Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a disease that robs people of physical strength, including the ability to walk, eat, or breathe,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “It is the number one genetic cause of death for infants. Early diagnosis of babies with SMA can lead to potentially life-saving interventions. By screening every baby born in Illinois, we hope to identify cases early so therapy can begin as soon as possible.”

SMA affects approximately 1 in 11,000 births. Beginning therapy as early as possible is the only way to prevent this motor neuron loss. For babies identified through newborn screening, treatment should begin even before the infant shows symptoms of SMA.

Currently, there are several FDA-approved treatments for SMA, and another six treatments are being tested in clinical trials.

Additional information can be found on the dph.illinois.gov website.

10 undiagnosed COVID-19 cases for each confirmed one?

The number of Americans who have been infected with the novel coronavirus is likely 10 times higher than the number of cases reported, according to the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a call with reporters Thursday, CDC Director Robert Redfield said, “Our best estimate right now is that for every case that’s reported, there actually are 10 other infections.”

Redfield estimated that 92 to 95 percent of the U.S. population is still susceptible to the virus. He also said that young people are driving the recent surge in cases in parts of the South and West, a point Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) echoed in tweets about the increase of cases in his state.

Three states (Alabama, Nevada and Missouri) have reported new single-day case highs, and seven (Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Nevada and South Carolina) reached seven-day rolling average highs. But it does not appear, according to data reported through 2:45 p.m. ET, that the U.S. total would eclipse Wednesday’s record high of 38,173 cases.

Here are some significant developments:

• A rush to reopen the nation’s economy without proper safety measures in place is behind this week’s spike in cases, Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said Thursday on the “Today” show.
• Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that Texas would pause its reopening while it struggles to contain a surge in novel coronavirus infections. Abbott issued an executive order to suspend elective surgeries at hospitals in four counties to ensure there would be room for covid-19 patients.
• In New York, coronavirus hospitalizations dipped just below 1,000 for the first time since March 18, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said.
• President Trump continued to push the discredited notion that coronavirus cases are increasing in the United States because of “GREAT TESTING” and complained that the news media was not spreading the word. While testing has increased, health experts say that in several states with rising caseloads, new cases are outpacing the spread of testing.
• Macy’s is laying off 3,900 corporate employees and managers, and Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company filed for bankruptcy protection, both influenced by the coronavirus’ impact on sales, the companies said.
• The World Health Organization said the global pandemic’s hotbed is now in Latin America, which has reported 100,000 fatalities as of this week. New flare-ups have also been reported in Australia, Germany and South Korea.

When there’s a coronavirus vaccine, who will get it first?

(AP) Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China and the U.S.

This week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said he is cautiously optimistic there will be a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021.Several wealthy countries have already ordered millions of doses of those experimental vaccines.

Britain and the U.S., for example, have invested in a vaccine candidate being developed by Oxford University and produced by AstraZeneca. If it works, U.K. politicians have said Britons will be vaccinated with it. The U.S. expects to start stockpiling it this fall and also has invested in other vaccine candidates.

CDC adds 3 new COVID-19 symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to have recently added three new symptoms of the novel coronavirus to its ongoing list.

Congestion or runny nose, nausea, and diarrhea were added, joining the federal agency’s list that already included fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell and sore throat.

“This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19,” per the CDC.

The CDC made a similar change in April when officials added six additional symptoms to the list. At the time, these new changes included chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.

When the pandemic first began, fever, cough, and shortness of breath were reported to be the most common signs of a COVID-19 infection.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with most people beginning to experience them two to 14 days following exposure to the novel virus, or SARS-CoV-2.

CVS locations in Swansea, Alton to offer drive-thru testing

Three area CVS locations will begin offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing starting Friday, June 26.

CVS locations in Belleville at 4609 West Main Street, in Swansea at 1801 North Illinois Street and in Alton at 2422 College Avenue will offer testing as part of an expansion of testing offerings from the pharmacies. In total, 1,400 CVS locations are offering drive-thru testing, 16 of which are in Illinois.

Patients must register in advance at CVS.com for a testing.

Texas governor halts reopening as coronavirus crisis grows

(CNN) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused any further phases to reopen the state on Thursday and issued an order to ensure hospital beds be available for Covid-19 patients.

Abbott’s moves came as his state, California and Florida — the three-most populous — set records for new coronavirus cases daily amid fears of “apocalyptic” surges in major Texas cities if the trend continues.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a budget emergency to free up $16 billion to fight the pandemic, according to a release from his office.

And the head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the US has only counted about 10% of coronavirus infections. That might mean as many as 20 million Americans have been infected.

Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases

Here are the latest available statistics from southwestern Illinois health departments as of Friday afternoon:

• St. Clair: 1,896 positives, 136 deaths, 14,821 tests administered, 122 pending results, 1,474 recoveries, 17 hospitalizations
• Madison: 892 positives, 68 deaths, 15,808 tests administered, 504 recoveries, 107 hospitalizations
• Randolph: 279 positives, seven deaths, 2,742 tests administered, no hospitalizations, 270 recoveries
• Clinton: 232 positives, 17 deaths, 1 hospitalizations, 172 recoveries
• Monroe: 118 positives, 12 deaths
• Macoupin: 54 positives, four deaths, 4,606 tests administered, 44 recoveries, 20 tests pending
• Perry: 48 positives, 44 recoveries
• Jersey: 35 positives, 1 death, 28 recoveries
• Washington: 19 positives, 19 recoveries
• Bond: 19 positives, one death, one hospitalization, six recoveries, 214 tests administered, one test pending
• Calhoun: One positive, one recovery
  
  

State, nation, world statistics

Here are the latest available statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus map as of Friday afternoon:

• Illinois: 140,291 cases, 6,847 deaths
  
  
• U.S.: 2,536,639 cases, 127,211 deaths, 1,055,801 recoveries
  
  
• World: 9,823,292 cases, 494,276 deaths, 5,303,849 recoveries
  
  

Want to help? Here are some ideas

The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the COVID-19 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 throughout the day with information about the spread of the coronavirus in southwestern Illinois.

You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:

State of Illinois’ COVID-19 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 COVID-19 pandemic:

• Touchette Regional Hospital’s Mental Health Support and Resource Line: Call 618-482-7158 to talk to trained therapy staff.
• Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm: Text the word “talk” to 552020 to text with a mental health care professional for free.
• Centerstone of Illinois, Inc.: Call 618-462-2331 for virtual mental health services.
• Chestnut Health Systems: Call 618-877-4420 for virtual mental health services.
• Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous: Call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com to learn about virtual meetings.
• Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Response Team: Call a support line for health care professionals at 618-381-5173.

Contact BND with tips, concerns, suggestions

If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the COVID-19 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 June 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.