33 more die in Illinois from coronavirus as total cases surpass 30,000 (LIVE UPDATES)
Here’s what we know happened today about the continuing spread of coronavirus and its ripple effects in Chicago and Illinois.
The Latest
Illinois reports 33 more COVID-19 deaths as case total surpasses 30K
Illinois health officials announced another 33 deaths and 1,197 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 30,357.
In total, 1,292 people have died of the coronavirus in Illinois since the pandemic first hit. The virus has now been reported in 93 of the state’s 102 counties.
Illinois also ran at least 5,914 COVID-19 tests on Saturday, officials said. In all, more than 142,000 have been tested for the virus.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker also announced that an airlift of PPE is scheduled to arrive in Illinois on Monday.
The protective equipment will be taken to state warehouses, where they’ll be inspected before being shipped out to first responders and health care professionals, Pritzker said.
“That’s the landscape we’re operating in,” Pritzker said. “Competing with other states, countries and even the federal government for supplies.”
Read the full report from Jake Wittich here.
News
2:35 p.m. Pritzker ‘frustrated’ by numbers of COVID-19 cases, deaths in Illinois nursing homes
Facing pressure to offer more information about how the coronavirus has spread through Illinois’ nursing homes, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office released figures Saturday showing that 3,265 residents of long-term care facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, and 272 of them have died.
In Illinois, long-term care facilities in Cook County have by far seen the largest number of cases and deaths.
The data released by the state show that 1,496 people in Cook County nursing homes have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 141 succumbing to the disease. And 75 residential facilities caring for the elderly have reported five or more cases.
Pritzker told reporters Saturday he began seeking guidance on how to manage nursing homes before issuing the statewide stay-at-home order nearly a month ago. That included calling New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who lead states where nursing homes have been hit particularly hard by the deadly disease.
Guidelines were then established that cut off visitors from nursing homes and required everyone entering to have their temperature taken, Pritzker said.
“So I’m frustrated by this,” he said. “It’s very hard to deal with congregate settings.”
Read the full report from Sun-Times reporter Tom Schuba here.
2:07 p.m. Northern Illinois mayors ask governor to allow reopening
Five northern Illinois mayors have asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the authority to reopen businesses next month, urging local control over restrictions and “common sense modifications” to a statewide stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pritzker has said he’s continually evaluating an extension of the order, which expires April 30, as other states have done.
The Winnebago County leaders — of communities ranging in population from roughly 1,300 to 23,000 people — said in a Friday letter to Pritzker that thousands of employees, including in the restaurant, fitness and salon industries are being unnecessarily harmed because they’re not considered essential workers, according to the Rockford Register Star. They said the need for financial aid has exceeded resources.
1:21 p.m. Evolving aid package offers billions for hospitals, testing
The Trump administration and Congress are nearing an agreement as early as Sunday on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.
With small-business owners reeling during a coronavirus outbreak that has shuttered much economic activity, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was hopeful of a deal that could pass Congress quickly and get the Small Business Administration program back up by midweek.
“I think we’re very close to a deal today. I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” he said.
Under the proposed deal, the government’s Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses would get roughly $300 billion, according to Mnuchin. The program has been swamped by businesses applying for loans and reached its appropriations limit last Thursday after approving nearly 1.7 million loans. That left thousands of small businesses in limbo as they sought help. An additional $50 billion in the evolving deal would go for disaster loans.
About $75 billion would go to U.S. hospitals, for those straining under a ballooning coronavirus caseload as well as those struggling to stay financially afloat after suspending elective surgeries during the pandemic. About $25 billion would be added for COVID-19 testing, something states have said was urgently needed. The money for hospitals and testing were priorities sought by congressional Democrats.
But additional aid to state and local governments would be left out, Mnuchin said.
12:05 p.m. These Chicagoans know what it’s like to face coronavirus and survive
They were among the unwilling pioneers of a disease that has sickened thousands in Illinois alone.
Stricken in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic’s spread through the United States, they knew they might experience little more than a sore throat and fever — or end up in a hospital on a ventilator or die.
“Oh, brother, you better believe I was scared,” one survivor said. “I didn’t know what was going on. It was like I was in a daze.”
But now, they know what it’s like to have faced COVID-19 and emerged. They are survivors. Sun-Times reporter Stefano Esposito shares some of their stories.
11:45 a.m. Suburban high school student’s death likely due to coronavirus: superintendent
A northwest suburban high school student in District 214 has died, likely of COVID-19, and at least one other student is in the ICU due to the virus, Superintendent David Schuler announced Saturday.
The student died last week “likely due to complications related to COVID-19,” Schuler wrote in an update to families.
“While we may be seeing a plateau in confirmed cases and deaths related to COVID-19 in Illinois, this is a dark week in District 214 that leaves me with an incredibly heavy heart,” the statement continues.
“We will continue to move forward to see the sunrise again one day; however, this week in our District is marked by pain and sadness. My family’s thoughts and prayers are with these families and all members of our District’s school community during this global pandemic.”
Read the full report from Sun-Times’ reporter Carly Behm here.
9:26 a.m. Medical students in Illinois graduate early amid coronavirus pandemic
The University of Illinois has allowed medical students to graduate early as the pressing need for healthcare workers has increased amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Graduates could start their residency programs early, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“When we saw the way the pandemic was affecting the nation, we asked how we could provide physicians to the workforce as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, executive dean of the college. “And when you look at the type of students we have and why they went to med school in the first place, it’s to help people.”
Earlier this month, Shivam Vedak marked his early graduation from the College of Medicine on a Zoom call. He and a cohort of the 191 graduates pledged to dedicate their lives to the service of humanity.
“I’ve never felt so validated in my decision to become a physician,” Vedak said.
8:15 a.m. Rev. Jesse Jackson pens 2nd letter to Trump urging coronavirus testing for all incarcerated people
The Rev. Jesse Jackson joined other black pastors and leaders as part of a national coalition Saturday to pen an open letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to test all 2.2 million people for COVID-19 that are incarcerated in the country during the pandemic, and asking the president to consider releasing people arrested on nonviolent offenses as they await trial.
“In prison, there are too many people in proximity to each other who do not have the option of social distancing and there are literally millions of persons incarcerated who were arrested, but not convicted, who are languishing in prison awaiting trial,” Jackson wrote in the letter.
The coalition, led by the Rev. Frederick D. Haynes II, senior pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church in Dallas, said the actions were aimed at reducing the country’s prison population to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“They are a captive audience and should not be devoured by the virus should someone in prison have it and spread it,” Jackson says in the letter.
Read the full story from Sun-Times’ reporter Jake Wittich here.
7:22 a.m. ICYMI: Celebrities offer hope, thank coronavirus front-line workers in COVID-19 event
Lady Gaga urged people weathering the coronavirus pandemic to find a way to smile through the pain, while Stevie Wonder encouraged viewers to lean on one another as the superstars kicked off Saturday’s all-star event aimed at fighting the coronavirus and celebrating health care workers on the front lines.
The two-hour TV special “One World: Together At Home,” curated by Gaga, was the second part of an eight-hour event supporting the World Health Organization alongside advocacy organization Global Citizen.
“I care so much about the medical workers that are putting their lives at risk for us,” said Gaga, who performed Nat King Cole’s version of the song “Smile.”
Wonder performed “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers — who died on March 30 — while playing piano. He told viewers: “During hardships like this we have to lean on each other for help.”
Paul McCartney sang the Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” and talked about the work his mother did as a nurse, while photos of health care workers were shown on the screen.
Get the full recap of Saturday’s event here.
New Cases
- Officials on Saturday announced another 125 deaths due to COVID-19 in Illinois, matching the highest number of deaths attributed to the virus in a single day. The state also recorded another 1,585 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 29,160 confirmed cases and 1,259 deaths since the outbreak hit the state.
- During the 2020 WNBA draft, Sky center Stefanie Dolson revealed on ESPN that her family tested positive for the coronavirus last month.
- A man and three women who live at a Lincoln Park nursing home died this week after contracting the coronavirus, a spokesman for the facility said Friday.
Analysis & Commentary
10:50 a.m. Senate President Don Harmon’s foolish pitch to Washington can only hurt Illinois
For weeks now, this editorial page has beat the drum for at least one more big federal stimulus package to help all states — red ones and blue ones — recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s a no-brainer. The economy of every state, including Illinois, has been devastated by a virus that has rocked the world. Congress and President Donald Trump must step up with more money.
That said, we’re a newspaper. We’re not the political leaders who have to sit down at the negotiating table and hammer out the details, including whether states hardest hit by COVID-19 should get more financial aid than other states. Our role has been to encourage Democrats and Republicans to work together to do what’s best, understanding that the politics are delicate and difficult.
Apparently, the president of the Illinois Senate, Don Harmon — who has been in that job all of three months — doesn’t quite get that. Last week, he made a politically deaf, even foolish, pitch to Washington that can only hurt our state’s chances of securing additional COVID-19 relief funds.
In a letter to the members of Congress from Illinois, Harmon, D-Oak Park, outlined a request for another $41 billion in COVID-19-related stimulus aid for the state. Harmon and his fellow state Senate Democrats said they want more aid to be sent directly to cities and towns, which makes sense. They want more money for hospitals, which would be good. And they want more money to help the unemployed, which we also agree is necessary.
But here’s the foolish part. Harmon has proposed that about a quarter of the new money for Illinois, $10 billion, be used to bail out our state government’s cash-strapped retirement systems — a problem not even remotely related to COVID-19.
Read the full Sun-Times’ editorial here.
7:08 a.m. Nurses are our lifeline, and they must get the equipment to stay safe from coronavirus
During this very difficult period, it is so very important to properly equip and protect our health care professionals who are in the vanguard of our struggle against the coronavirus.
Nurses are putting their lives on the line to save lives. But alarmingly, they do not all have adequate protective equipment. They are getting exposed, getting sick and being quarantined. Many nurses have died.
More than 200 doctors and nurses across the globe have been lost to this pandemic.
We are losing our health care workers at the worst possible time. We can’t expect our nurses to work without the proper equipment in a job that is already stressful because of understaffing, high rates of workplace injury and other occupational hazards.
The situation in long-term care and correctional facilities is especially grave.