899 New Cases As IL Coronavirus Peak Expected In Coming Weeks

ILLINOIS — For the first time in three days, the state of Illinois has seen a drop in the number of coronavirus cases reported over a 24-hour period with 899 new patients testing positive for the virus as of Sunday afternoon and 31 new deaths. To date, there have been 11,256 cases of the virus across the state and 274 deaths, state health officials announced Sunday afternoon.

Comparably, Saturday saw the highest 24-hour jump in cases with 1,453 new patients testing positive for the virus and 33 new deaths. On Friday, there were 1,209 new cases across the state and 53 new deaths.

But, still, state officials say it’s very unlikely the worst is behind us. In Illinois, the virus is expected to peak in the coming weeks with many more deaths to come.

“This is happening on a rolling basis in different parts of the country. But it’s all going to happen in a relatively short period of time in many areas of the country,” said Gov. JB Pritzker during his daily address, adding that the short period of time would likely be between six to eight weeks.

“I do very much worry about all the people of the United States," he said.

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And the state, Pritzker said, is still woefully under-supplied with the resources it needs for its front-line hospital workers and medical staff. On Sunday, Pritzker again took jabs at the federal government for not stepping up sooner to ensure those much-needed supplies, such as PPE and ventilators.

“I’ve given up on the federal government showing up in the way we all would expect them to,” Pritzker said.

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He also slammed the federal government on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper Sunday morning. This time, he took aim at Vice President Mike Pence who told him Illinois only needed 1,400 ventilators after Pritzker asked for 4,000.

“I pray that the vice president was right,” he said. Under a model from the University of Washington predicting a worst-case scenario in Illinois, the state would need between 5,000 to 7,000 more ventilators, Pritzker said during the CNN interview.

Pritzker, during Sunday's new conference, said his dream would be for the state to be "too prepared." But he added he is not confident that will be the case.

Among new deaths Sunday is a second inmate who contracted the virus while at Stateville Prison, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Deparmtent of Public Health, during Sunday's news conference. That prison currently has 60 positive cases. She also said state health officials are looking at the racial disparity regarding more African-Americans in Illinois who are contracting and dying from the virus and urged residents to be especially mindful of the practices being pushed to slow the spread and flatten the curve as cases peak.

“We should continue to do our best and keep everyone safe by staying home, washing our hands and physically distancing,” she said.

Also on Sunday, Pritzker announced new initiatives to ensure essential workers, from front-line medical workers to clerks at grocery stores to support staff at hospitals, would have childcare available. Daycare facilities were among the businesses forced to close when Pritzker become one of the first governors across the U.S. to issue a statewide shelter-in-place initiative.

Since then, those daycare providers have been able to apply to become a emergency childcare provider. To date, 550 daycare facilities have done just that, according to Pritzker. He added that more than 1,500 additional home daycares were providing help to families needing to work, including care for children during the weekend and overnight hours that are often critical to medical workers, Pritzker said.

He also touted a new perk, a childcare assistance program, for essential workers who qualify. In Illinois, he said there are one million children under the age of 5 years old and he added that "children who can stay home, should stay home."

"We need our youngest Illinoisans to follow these rules like everyone else," he said.

But those who must work, and who are providing needed services for the public during this pandemic, should have the safe childcare they need. The care, he said, would be provided in smaller groups than is typical at daycare facility. And other precautions would be put in place to make sure children are kept healthy and safe while their parents are at work.

More information and an application for child care for prioritized essential workers is available on the Illinois Department of Public Health website.