Illinois health officials announced 81 more deaths and 1,293 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, raising the statewide death toll to 677 and the case tally to 19,180.
The wave of deaths marked the second highest surge since the pandemic began. Officials announced 82 deaths Wednesday.
The virus has now been reported in 86 of the state’s 102 counties. Nearly 93,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said “we are not where we need to be” yet in terms of testing availability.
He has, however, expressed cautious optimism that the state could be approaching the peak of the pandemic and “bending the curve” to keep the state’s 211 hospitals within their patient capacity.
If care facilities are overrun, though, a field hospital at McCormick Place is ready to start accepting up to 2,250 patients as early as next week, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
As of Friday, 43% of the fatal COVID-19 victims were black, while 34% were white, health officials said. In Chicago, however, 70% of those who have died were black.
To increase testing for the virus in black communities, Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, announced new testing centers on the South and West sides to increase testing for the virus in black communities.
Earlier Saturday, Lightfoot and Interim Chicago Police Supt. Charlie Beck honored a second CPD member who died of COVID-19.
Sgt. Cliff Martin, who worked in the department for 25 years, most recently in the Area Central detectives division, died Friday after coming down with the virus last month, officials said.
“Our hearts go out to Sgt. Martin’s wife and his three children who are now grieving over the unimaginable loss of a husband and father who was taken from them so suddenly by this terrible disease,” Lightfoot said at a news conference.
The mayor said Martin’s widow relayed that he “would want his death to serve as a warning to civilians that they must stay home.”
Martin is the fifth city employee to die of COVID-19. Earlier in the week, veteran Chicago firefighter Mario Araujo succumbed to the virus.
