Gov. J.B. Pritzker says southwest Illinois continues to fail at slowing coronavirus
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the metro-east continues to fail at its efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus while another Illinois region under restrictions was on the path to having them lifted.
The metro-east triggered coronavirus restrictions in late August when the percentage of tests coming back positive, or the positivity rate, exceeded a seven-day average of 8% over three consecutive days. The restrictions include a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants.
The Illinois Department of Public Health tracks coronavirus metrics in 11 regions throughout the state, including the metro-east, or Region 4. Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, also saw restrictions recently.
Region 7 managed to reduce their positivity rate and is moving toward lifted restrictions, while the metro-east continues to struggle with transmission, Pritzker said during a news conference in Chicago.
“While unfortunately Region 4, home to the metro-east, continues to see high rates of community spread ... we’ve been pleased to see the beginning of a downward trend in Region 7,” Pritzker said.
“I’m hopeful that Region 7 might become a testament to the community’s ability to turn the ship around in the right direction.”
The percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the metro-east was 10.1% as of Sept. 7, while Region 7 reported a rate of 7.5%, down from 8.8% a week prior. Information on the website is delayed by three days, so Monday was the latest data available Thursday. Numbers from St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Monroe, Randolph and Clinton counties contribute to the region-wide metrics.
If a region manages to reduce the positivity rate below 6.5% for two weeks, the region could go back to rules under Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan. Indoor dining and drinking are allowed under Phase 4 with capacity limits. Masks are required statewide, and crowds are limited to 50 people or less.
Wearing masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing can help reduce the spread, said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. Masks are extremely effective in slowing the spread in places where social distancing is not possible, she added. In one instance, a symptomatic man on a 14-hour flight from China to Toronto later tested positive for COVID-19. None of the 25 people closest to him on the plane tested positive because everyone wore masks.
“We all want our kids in school. We all want our restaurants open. We all want all of our businesses open, and we can do that by wearing a mask,” Ezike said. “Wear a mask. There’s power in your face-covering. Collectively, we could save thousands of lives and we could save millions of dollars when we think of the jobs saved.”
Questioning COVID metrics
Downstate Republicans have questioned metrics the state uses to make public health decisions, and business groups have pleaded with the governor to lighten restrictions.
Lawmakers such as state Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo, and state Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, have urged Pritzker to use hospitalizations instead of the positivity rate for decisions about restrictions, an idea the governor pushed back on Thursday.
“I know there are lots of people who think, ‘Well, gee, somebody didn’t have to go to the hospital or they didn’t die and therefore there’s nothing to it,’” Pritzker said. “That’s just inaccurate.”
Because COVID-19 can spread from people who aren’t showing symptoms, it can easily spread into vulnerable populations who could get sick and be hospitalized or die from the disease, Pritzker said.
While positivity rates are decreasing in some regions statewide, hospitalizations are increasing, the governor added. The metro-east has seen three days of hospitalization increases, and others have seen at least one and up to four days of increases, according to IDPH regional metrics.
State health officials reported 1,953 new confirmed cases of coronavirus Thursday, including 28 additional deaths, for a total of 255,643 cases and 8,242 deaths since Illinois started tracking COVID-19.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity rate from September 3-9 was 3.8%. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories reported 48,982 specimens for a total of 4.6 million tests performed. As of Wednesday night, 1,609 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 346 patients were in intensive care units and 141 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
