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Coronavirus deaths double in one week at Illinois nursing homes; have surged past 1,000, data show
The number of reported coronavirus deaths at Illinois nursing homes nearly doubled in the past week and for the first time surpassed 1,000, as new cases and deaths blew by their previous one-week highs, according to data released Friday by state health officials.
But the numbers, published weekly, have inconsistencies from week to week and, because of lags in reporting, appear to be lower than the real-time toll the virus is taking on those facilities.
In all, 3,229 new cases were reported this week along with 456 new deaths, according to a count by the Chicago Sun-Times. That brings state nursing home cases to 7,527 and deaths to 1,081. Last week, the state saw one-week increases of 2,438 cases and 339 deaths.
Those tallies mean elderly care facilities have accounted for 44% of the state’s coronavirus deaths and nearly one in seven confirmed cases.
Read the full report from Nader Issa here.
News
9:47 a.m. ICYMI: Reopen Illinois rally draws hundreds to Loop, Springfield
Anger and frustration were palpable in the Loop and in Springfield Friday as hundreds of people rallied and railed against statewide restrictions that have left scores of people across the state out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Chicago, at the Thompson Center, the crowd was small early in the day but grew to about 300 people — still a far cry from the crowd of 5,000 organizers had anticipated. Street closures were minimal, and the group stayed put at the northwest corner of Randolph and Clark streets throughout the morning and afternoon.
“We are still the land of the free. There are still independent people who can think for themselves and who can protect their own self-interest as they see fit,” former Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica told reporters.
With car horns — both in support and in opposition to the rally-goers — and motorcycle engines echoing throughout the largely empty downtown area, the attendees laid bare their mounting frustrations, with some calling for Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to be removed from office.
“Give me liberty or give me COVID-19,” “F— your face masks,” and “Ban vaccines” were some of the slogans written on the hundreds of homemade signs and flags that dotted the rally.
The Springfield rally drew several hundred people. The crowd filled the steps and spilled onto the lawn on the east side of the Illinois State Capitol.
Many expressed frustration with the Chicago-dominated state government they believe has ignored Downstate. Much of the anger was directed at Pritzker.
“He’s not in touch with the people who elected him,” said Ben Hamilton, an industrial tool shop owner from Peoria.
Read the full report by Sam Charles and Neal Earley here.
9:00 a.m. On National Decision Day, CPS seniors look forward to the future, but worry about missing another milestone
After a difficult senior year upended by forces outside of their control, Chicago Public Schools students are being cautiously optimistic about heading off to college.
As National Decision Day arrived Friday, traditionally the deadline to commit to a school, the students said they were juggling feelings of excitement with those of uncertainty.
On social media accounts, students proudly shared photos of themselves with their school choice, and friends and family cheered them on and congratulated them in the comments section.
“I know you’ll work hard and be successful!” one wrote to Rami Assaf, 18, a Jones College Prep student who plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on an Instagram account dedicated to his fellow seniors.
“Congrats, Diego” another wrote to Lane Tech College Prep student Diego Lucero, who plans to attend DePaul. “A legend,” wrote another.
Still, the day, like other milestones this year, was bittersweet for many seniors.
Read the full report from Matthew Hendrickson here.
7:18 a.m. Surge in coronavirus cases continues at Chicago’s federal jail
A quick rise in the number of coronavirus cases among inmates held in Chicago’s downtown federal jail continued Friday, with the Bureau of Prisons reporting 74 inmates had tested positive, up from 48 on Thursday.
The sudden rise in numbers reported at the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center by the Bureau of Prisons follows questions about how the agency has been counting cases there. As recently as Wednesday, the Bureau of Prisons said only seven of the more than 600 people being held at the MCC had tested positive.
Read the full report from Jon Seidel here.
New cases
Analysis & Commentary
7:23 a.m. Michelle Abernathy wasn’t just another COVID-19 victim. She made a difference.
Torrence Jones remembers the day his girlfriend Michelle Abernathy learned a developmentally disabled resident of Ludeman Developmental Center, where they worked, had become the first person there to test positive for COVID-19.
It was March 28, a Saturday. Abernathy had stopped by the Park Forest campus to catch up on work. She was informed the stricken man lived in a housing unit under her supervision.
Abernathy, 52, made sure the resident was receiving proper care and that her staff had personal protective equipment, Jones said.
By the next night, Abernathy had a fever. Fifteen days later, she was dead, a victim of the coronavirus.
The Illinois Department of Human Services revealed this past week that the death toll at Ludeman has reached six — three staff members and three residents.
The latest to die: Jose Velez and Cephus Lee. They worked in Ludeman’s dietary department, delivering meals from a central kitchen to the 38 residential homes that comprise the facility.
