COVID-19 cases near 18,000 in Illinois; more testing for minority communities
The state will ramp up testing for minorities hit hard by COVID-19, officials said Friday, while announcing the number of Illinoisans testing positive for the respiratory disease rose by 1,465 cases and the tally of people dying increased by 68 in one day.
Statewide, 596 people have died from the respiratory disease since the outbreak began last month, and 17,887 people in 83 of Illinois' 102 counties have been infected.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday promised more testing to reduce COVID-19 infections and deaths in black communities in Chicago, Cook County and elsewhere in Illinois.
They are "suffering a vastly disproportionate effect," Pritzker said.
The governor on Thursday threw cold water on holding summer festivals and was asked Friday if he would extend school closings past the current order of April 30.
School closings "will be dictated by where we are as we approach April 30 and what progress has been made, and what are the doctors saying," Pritzker said.
One crucial question would involve what size of group is safe for people - and schoolchildren - to congregate in. "We don't want to have a second wave" of COVID-19, Pritzker said.
The state is creating five temporary care centers for COVID-19 patients at McCormick Place in Chicago, as well as the previously closed Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island and Vibra Hospital in Springfield.
Construction at Sherman and Westlake could wrap up by April 24, said Illinois Medical District CEO Suzet M. McKinney, who is overseeing the alternate care facilities.
After that, "we would need about two days to train all staff and have the facilities ready to open and accept patients," McKinney said.
The sites will kick into gear only when existing hospitals reach "critical mass," and they would accept patients with mild cases, officials said.
To address the gap in COVID-19 cases among minorities, four federally qualified health centers on Chicago's South Side and West Side will conduct an estimated 400 tests a day and send the tests to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for analysis, the governor said.
As of Wednesday, data showed black people comprise 43% of deaths from COVID-19 in Illinois but make up about 15% of the population, according to state and federal data.
Preliminary state testing data released Friday showed 21% of whites are being tested compared to 13% of blacks and 4% of Hispanics. Among those tested who provided information about race, about 18% of white residents tested positive for COVID-19 compared to 35% to 36% of black and Hispanic Illinoisans.
Racial inequality and a lack of health care in minority communities is among the reasons for the trend, Pritzker said.
Officials have said it appears the percentage rate of increase in COVID cases and deaths overall is dipping.
On Sunday, the IDPH announced 31 new deaths and 899 additional cases of COVID-19. On Wednesday, fatalities climbed by 82 with 1,529 more infections. Thursday and Friday's tallies were slightly lower.
Statistics indicate that "there's a leveling going on," Pritzker said.
"I see these numbers (every day), and before I look at them I must admit to you, I pray and I think about ... 'Are the numbers going in the right direction?'"
However, some outliers exist. For example, the Cook County Department of Public Health had reported 46 total cases of COVID-19 in Arlington Heights on Thursday, but that spiked to 95 on Friday. Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said he was not aware of any immediate reason for an increase.
State officials also announced that temporary housing in hotel rooms for people who test positive for COVID-19 but don't need hospitalization will be available next week. Up to 2,000 rooms across Illinois in towns like Schaumburg and in the collar counties will be offered. Typical guests are patients who need to quarantine but don't have enough space to do so in their homes.