2,270 new COVID-19 cases, 136 new deaths in Illinois

CHICAGO (WAND) - The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday there are 2,270 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 136 additional deaths.

The most recent deaths include:

- Cook County: 2 males 40s, 1 female 50s, 6 males 50s, 8 females 60s, 8 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 10 females 70s, 12 males 70s, 14 females 80s, 7 males 80s, 7 females 90s, 4 males 90s, 1 unknown 90s, 2 females 100+

- DuPage County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 males 70s, 2 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 2 females 90s, 2 males 90s

- Kane County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+

- Kendall County: 1 male 30s

- Lake County: 1 female 60s, 2 females 70s, 2 males 80s, 4 females 90s, 1 male 90s, 1 female 100+

- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s

- Madison County: 1 female 80s

- McHenry County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s

- Peoria County: 1 male 50s

- Rock Island County: 2 females 90s

- St. Clair County: 1 female 80s

- Will County: 1 male 60s, 2 females 70s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 3 females 90s, 1 male 90s

- Winnebago County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 70s

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 68,232 cases, including 2,974 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois.

About 15 percent of the tests processed by the state over the last 24 hours were positive.

Governor JB Pritzker announced his "framework for moving forward" Tuesday which he called Restore Illinois. He called it a public health plan to safely reintroduce "parts of our lives that have been put on hold with COVID-19."

"Science and data are our over-arching guard rails for how we move forward," he said.

"Many members of the General Assembly proposed a regional approach to reopening," Pritzker said.

The five-phase plan breaks Illinois into four regions. It is guided by public health metrics to provide  a framework for reopening businesses, education, and recreational activities in each phase.

Pritzker said we are currently in Phase 2. May 1 marked the start of Phase 2. May 29 is the earliest a region may move to Phase 3, because the Stay At Home order is in place through May 30.

To read all about these phases, click the link below.

>>Gov. Pritzker releases 5-phase plan to reopen Illinois

For regions to move into the different phases:

• A region must be at or under a 20 percent positive testing rate
• A regional must be increasing by no more than 10 percentage points over a 14 day period
• A region must not have had an overall increase or must have maintained overall stability in hospital admissions
• A region must maintain the accessibility of a surge threshold of 14 percent availability of ICU beds, of medical and surgery beds, and ventilators

Pritzker said large venue concerts and festivals will not be able to resume until regions meet Phase 5.

On Wednesday, Pritzker said employees can report employers that are not following CDC and state guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For public employees like those working for state and local governments, public works departments, police and fire departments, complaings should be submitted to the Illinois OSHA through the Illinois Department of Labor.

For private sector employees, direct complaints should be made to federal OSHA.

Both of those reporting mechanisms can be found on the Illinois Department of Labor's website.

Pritzker was questioned Monday about the temporary treatment center McCormick Place. Millions of dollars were spent to create the center that acted as a center to treat those with less serious COVID-19 symptoms and provide relief for hospitals. Pritzker said they treated between 29 and 30 patients. He said part of it is staying open for now, but a portion of it is in the process of being dismantled.

On Friday, Pritzker said the state is working to have contact tracing as part of the plan to reopen the state. 

Gov. Pritzker said Wednesday 20 million pieces of Personal Protection Equipment have been sent out throughout the state so far during the COVID-19 crisis.

Still, he said, more is still needed. A critical needs request has been sent to FEMA for 900,000 gowns.

Governor Pritzker pushed the importance of testing and announced Thursday that the White House has promised Illinois 605,000 individual swabs and 465,000 vials of ETM that will be delivered in the first week of May.

The number of public testing sites has been increased to 177, and two additional state-run drive-thru testing sites have been added.

Testing site locations include:

• 19 in Rockford region
• 9 in Peoria region
• 8 in Springfield region
• 5 in Edwardsville region
• 33 in Marion region
• 10 in Champaign region
• 41 in Chicago
• 22 in the southwest suburbs
• 8 in the west suburbs
• 11 in the northwest suburbs
• 11 in the north suburbs

Pritzker announced a new clinical support program Wednesday. He announced IDPH is deploying ten teams of 50 nurses to long-term care facilities across the state. Over the coming days, an additional team of 200 IDPH nurses will join the ranks to deploy to nursing homes throughout Illinois.

"They'll be focused on three tasks: conducting swab testing, training existing staff to take samples themselves, and reviewing and improving the facility's hygiene practices and PPE use," Pritzker said.

Pritzker said the state is ramping up testing of residents and staff at facilities with or without COVID-19 cases.

"We are working to test all residents and all staff for free at facilities without known COVID-19 outbreaks," Pritzker said. "And at facilities with known cases, we are ensuring that all employees can be tested for free."

Pritzker also announced the hiring process for long-term care facilities has been simplified to help them bring on additional part-time help as needed.

On Tuesday, Pritzker announced a Polish medical delegation, made up of doctors, nurses, and researchers, arrived in Chicago on April 23 to assist Illinois with its COVID-19 response.

The Illinois National Guard's state partnership program with the Polish military dates back to 1993. Pritzker said that partnership has, "grown to be the most robust and successful such partnership in the United States, involving multiple exchanges between Illinois and Poland each year."

Pritzker said the goal of this partnership is to learn from each other and help one another improve.

Illinois National Guard forces and Polish forces have co-deployed in Iraq in the past and now in Afghanistan.

"Just as we fought together in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Illinois National Guard and our longtime partners and friends in the Polish military have joined together once more in a fight against the global enemy of COVID-19," Pritzker said.

As of Wednesday, May 6, 4,832 COVID-19 patients in Illinois are hospitalized. 1,231 patients are in the ICU. 780 are on ventilators.

Regarding recovering rates:

• Those less than 2 weeks out of testing positive: 49 percent report they no longer feel symptoms
• Those between 2 and 4 weeks out of testing positive: 61 percent report feeling recovered
• Those more than 4 weeks out of testing positive: 74 percent report being recovered

The CDC announced a new list of possible symptoms of COVID-19 last week.

Previous symptoms included fever, cough and shortness of breath.

The CDC added these six additional symptoms:

• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Governor JB Pritzker also announced the Stay At Home Order that was initially set to expire April 30 will be extended through the end of May.

>>Pritzker extends stay-at-home order through May 30, with changes

"If we lifted the Stay At Home order tomorrow, we would see our deaths per day shoot into the thousands by the end of May," Pritzker said. "That would last well into the summer... the numbers present us with only one choice."

The executive order will include some modifications to the previous order that will go into effect on May 1.

These include mandating face coverings be worn in public when 6-ft social distancing is difficult (including children over the age of 2), allowing greeneries and nurseries to re-open, allowing for some elective surgeries to start again, and letting retail shops that were previously deemed non-essential to open back up for curb-side pickup orders.

Animal grooming will be allowed again.

State parks will begin a phased re-opening. Fishing and boating in groups of no more than two people will be allowed.

Golf will be permitted as long as social distancing is followed.

The governor said if officials see people violating these conditions and large crowds gathering, he will need to bring back the restrictions.

"I see your pain, and I am so, so very sorry for it," Pritzker said. "But for every person who wants to go to dinner or hang out with friends or swing open their salon doors, there is a family mourning the death of someone they love. There is a parent, a child, a friend who would give anything to have their greatest strain be the difficulties of staying home and not the unimaginable pain of a life lost too soon."

He added, "I will fight like hell for you. I am asking you to hold on for just a little while longer to make sure we all see through to the other side of this struggle."

Pritzker said Friday local mayors do have the ability to impose even more stringent restrictions if they feel that is necessary to protect their communities.

Pritzker also said the virus peak for Illinois that was initially thought to be in mid-April may actually not hit until late April to early May.

"The peak is still yet to come. We need to be careful," he said.

>>Pritzker: Illinois could see coronavirus peak in mid-May

Researchers said Thursday the warmer summer months could help the pandemic start to die out. However, they stressed much is still unknown about the virus, and these are just theories at this time.

The governor spoke Monday about the dangers of COVID-19 breakouts in nursing homes and long term care facilities. He said if one person tests positive in a facility, the entire staff must wear personal protective equipment. All residents should also wear masks. He said everyone is treated as if they were exposed at that point.

Pritzker said it is important facilities reach out to their local health departments to get PPE if they do not already have it.

There have been 11 deaths reported at Fair Havens Senior Living Facility in Decatur.

>>11th COVID-19 death at Fair Havens Senior Living Facility

WAND was the first to report about pictures of staff at Fair Havens Living Facility not properly wearing protective gear to care for residents.

>>Health officials address images showing Fair Havens staff not wearing PPE

"We will not hesitate to hold any bad actors at the management level accountable," Pritzker said, talking about any nursing home owners that are not adhering to state guidelines to protect residents. He said temperatures will be taken for all staff to ensure no one is reporting for work who should be isolating at home. These pre-shift assessments should be done at all nursing homes. 

>>Gov. Pritzker announces closure of schools for remainder of this school year

>>Gov. Pritzker announces partnership with Midwest states to work towards re-opening economies

Pritzker said it is very likely the number of people infected is much higher that what is being reported, because there are a limited number of tests available. That is true for states all across the country.

Counties with positive COVID-19 cases include Alexander, Boone, Bureau, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, DeWitt, Douglas, DuPage, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lawrence, Lee, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McHenry, McLean, Mercer, Monroe, Moultrie, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Piatt, Pike, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Sangamon, Schuyler, Shelby, Stark, St. Clair, Tazwell, Union, Vermilion, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, and Woodford.

To see the number of cases confirmed in each Illinois county, click HERE. These numbers are updated daily.

>>Central Illinois counties reporting cases of COVID-19

Governor Pritzker spoke about the financial impact of COVID-19 on the state of Illinois. "The virus is going to hit our budget hard... The bottom line is this. Experts predict that Illinois will have a $2.7 billion shortfall for this fiscal year and a $4.6 billion shortfall for next fiscal year."

"This is a public health crisis, but it is accompanied by massive economic disruption that is unprecedented in modern history," the governor continued.

Goveror Pritzker presented a 2021 fiscal year budget proposal last February. He said the proposal was for a balanced budget.

He said his goal was to put Illinois on a path to financial stability. "That path has fundamentally diminished to the narrowest of paths," he said. 

There is a 7 percent drop in state source revenue. $1 billion of the decline is due to the 3 month extension for filing income taxes.

The governor said he is working to leverage over $700 million in other state funds to support the operations of state government and issue up to $1.2 billion in short-term borrowing.

Pritzker said the total budgetary gap for Illinois for fiscal year 2021 is $6.2 billion.

He acknowledged that "extraordinarily difficult" decisions will have to be made when it comes to the budget.

Governor Pritkzer said, "There is no one who wants this state to open up more than I do. I want kids to go back to school, and I want parents to go back to work. I want families to enjoy our parks and lake fronts. I want small businesses thriving, restaurants flooded with reservations, job growth to return to their record highs. But no matter what the President may say, I will do what's best to guard the health and safety of Illinois' residents. That means test, trace, and treat."

About 20 to 21 percent of the people being tested in Illinois for COVID-19 test positive, the Governor said. 80 percent of people who test positive recover without further care. About 19 percent require hospitalization, and about 0.7 to 1 percent pass away from the virus.

Pritzker also addressed the upcoming November election, saying things may not be "back to normal by then," because there may not be a vaccine for COVID-19 available. He said he is pushing for more mail ballots to be used.

Also on Tuesday, Pritzker announced he is suspending laws that permit the service of a garnishment summons, wage deduction summons, or a citation to discover assets as part of consumer debt collection proceedings.

This protects the use of the stimulus money for food, shelter, and transportation as it was intended.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation also issued Best Practices to Illinois licensed lenders encouraging them to work with struggling borrowers during the pandemic to extend the time for payment, waive late charges, and defer collection measures.

Pritzker addressed concerns over unemployment in the state Monday, outlining the state's plan to handle unemployment claims.

>>Pritzker administration working to ease unemployment filing

“We are living in a deeply unprecedented moment, and holding the emotional ramifications of that inside will only be harder on you. Please know that you don’t have to feel it all alone,” said Pritzker Saturday. “My administration is here to serve you and help see you through this time of crisis – I want you to know that we’re here to help.”

>>Governor Pritzker announces new telehealth programs, mental health support hotline.

Pritzker is launching a new Remote Patient Monitoring Program and mental health support line. 

Pritzker also announced essential workers will get workers compensation if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 at work. He laid out who will get these benefits on the illinois.gov website. 

"This is a war. It's a war against COVID-19," Governor JB Pritzker said Friday.

Hotel rooms in cities including Springfield and Champaign will made available starting Monday to help isolate those who show mild symptoms. These are for people who do not require hospitalization, but who need to be isolated from others living in their homes.

The state has facilities with rooms that could be ready to be activated next week in Springfield, Rockford, Metro East, the Quad Cities, Schaumburg, Mt. Vernon, Peoria, Carbondale, Quincy, Marion, Macomb, Champaign and the collar counties.

Up to 2,000 rooms are available.

The VA hospital system will also be helping to treat COVID-19 patients as needed.

The health equity team for the state launched COVID-19 text messaging updates. You can opt in to receive COVID-19 related updates by texting "COVID" to (312) 500-3836. For Spanish, text "COVID ESP" to the same number.

>>Pritzker: Large summer events might have to be canceled

>>Public reminded to take social distancing seriously

The majority of people diagnosed with COVID-19 do recover. Officials report 50 percent of those diagnosed were recovered within seven days of testing positive in Illinois. Even more recover within two weeks, although officials did not release that percentage.

The number of COVID-19 cases by zip code will now be available by clicking HERE. Zip codes with five or less cases will not be shown to protect the privacy of patients.

>>Illinois unemployment rate increases 950% following closer of bars, restaurants

>>How to get unemployment benefits during COVID-19 outbreak

Officials said the economic impact of COVID-19 on hotels is already worse than the 2008 recession and 9/11 terrorist attacks combined.

Nearly 20,000 hotel rooms state-wide have been offered up as temporary housing for first responders, health care workers, and those in need of being isolated.

Pritzker said letters have been sent to the National Credit Bureaus asking them not to let consequences of the coronavirus outbreak negatively impact the credit rating of Illinoisans.

The closure of in-person learning at schools has been expanded through the rest of the school year.

Bars and restaurants are closed, but drive thru, delivery, and curb side pickup is allowed.

>>List of Businesses Open During the Coronavirus

Interstates, highways, roads, and tolls will remain open.

Pritzker said he made the decision after consulting with numerous medical and health experts to understand the progression of COVID-19, and determined that to avoid rapid spread of the virus in Illinois that has occurred in other countries, drastic action must be taken to contain it.

"I don't come to this decision easily," Pritzker said. "I fully recognize that in some cases, I am choosing between saving people's lives and saving people's livelihoods. But ultimately, you can't have a livelihood if you don't have your life."

Illinois health officials said they expect the number of confirmed cases to grow as more patients are able to be tested.

Governor JB Pritzker said he is working on having more protective masks manufactured in Illinois.

Pritzker said he asked the federal government for masks, surgical gowns, face shields, and supplies, but has only received a fraction of what was requested. The state was not sent any respirators.

Pritzker is asking the owners of businesses like nail salons, tattoo parlors, and others that are closed during the crisis to consider donating face masks.

For donations, email PPE.donations@illinois.gov.

There are cases in all 50 states.

"To maximize the state’s availability of PPE, IDPH released guidance to limit non-essential adult elective surgery and medical and surgical procedures, including all dental procedures, until further notice. IDPH is now encouraging surgery centers, veterinarians, and anyone with unused PPE that is not immediately needed to donate it to assist health care providers, health care facilities, and first responders who are on the front line actively responding to COVID-19," the governor said.

Most cases of COVID-19 have been mild, but people including the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are considered most at risk. However, casesD reported in Illinois have included all age ranges.

People are being asked to follow social distancing measures, including working from home when possible, limiting the amount of time spent in the community and avoiding public transportation.

The number of cases with no clear connection to travel or a known positive COVID-19 case is rising, IDPH officials said. 

Click here to learn more about how people, their school, workplace and community can prepare for COVID-19.