Illinois had its deadliest day yet from the coronavirus, with state officials reporting 192 deaths on Wednesday.
The second highest single-day death toll was reported on May 5 with 176 deaths.
Data shows that Wednesday also marked the 16th day with more than 100 deaths from the virus.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the death toll in the state is now at 3,792. The department also reported an additional 1,677 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 84,698.
In the United States, confirmed cases of the virus have surpassed 1.4 million and at least 84,156 people have died.
Illinois had its deadliest day yet from the coronavirus, with state officials reporting 192 deaths on Wednesday. Illinois National Guard members return a body tray to be sanitized on the loading dock at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s storage center on May 5
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the death toll in the state is now at 3,792. The department also reported an additional 1,677 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 84,698. A healthcare workers is seen handing out testing information in Chicago on May 6
Earlier this week, Gov J.B. Pritzker maintained that his stay-at-home order and social-distancing practices have slowed the spread of the disease, saving the health care infrastructure from being overwhelmed with a peak in cases at first pegged for late April.
The peak now won’t come until next month, making it easier to provide care for fewer people who become sick at the same time.
He remained optimistic that by the May 30 end of his current stay-at-home order, much of the state will be able to move into the third phase of his five-stage reopening plan, which allows for manufacturing to start up, offices and hair salons to open with limits on capacity, and some small gatherings.
It’s not fast enough for some, the latest being mayors of border cities who are concerned that neighboring states are opening sooner.
‘I understand that people may cross over the border,’ Pritzker said.
Earlier this week, Gov J.B. Pritzker (pictured) maintained that his stay-at-home order and social-distancing practices have slowed the spread of the disease, saving the health care infrastructure from being overwhelmed with a peak in cases at first pegged for late April
Healthcare workers are seen working at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site in Chicago on May 6
‘But I think they should take into account the … spread of the virus and their ability to carry that virus back over the border, and they come back, bringing it to their family and their community.’
Pritzker also called on lawmakers — who have been kept from the Capitol by coronavirus restrictions since early March — to act ‘expeditiously’ to put together a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and compile aid packages for those struggling financially.
‘It’s a common concern for us to make sure that we’re addressing the needs of families and small businesses,’ Pritzker said.
‘And I would just add that the size of the package will be significantly dependent upon whether or not we are able to get relief from the federal government for the lost revenues.’
Already hounded by tens of billions of dollars in overdue bills and pension obligations, the pandemic stripped Illinois of sales and income tax and other expected revenue, causing a projected deficit of $7billion in the next two years, Pritzker said last month.
But he stopped short of saying he would call the legislature into special session, preferring instead to encourage legislative leaders to call their members to Springfield.
In the US, confirmed cases have surpassed 1.4 million and at least 84,156 people have died
Democrats who control the House and Senate have been conducting business in ‘working groups’ to craft a budget and handle other key issues.
The state public health director, Dr Ngoze Ezike, acknowledged skepticism about the numbers.
Some people are claiming they’re inflated, some that they’re under-reported.
She said the Illinois Department of Public Health is attributing deaths to the coronavirus only when a laboratory test is positive.
Deaths from COVID-19 before the pandemic spread were likely under-reported, Ezike said.
IDPH has been careful to separate cases where a person tested positive for COVID-19 but the cause of death was unrelated, she said.