Illinois saw its deadliest day yet from COVID-19, with another 192 Illinoisans losing their lives, officials said Wednesday. It marks the highest death toll in a 24-hour period since the virus began its spread.
In total, 3,792 people have died from the coronavirus in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health also reported 1,677 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 84,698. The state received 17,668 test results and has performed 489,359 total tests.
Wednesday also marked the 16th day with more than 100 lives lost, and resumed an especially deadly period for the virus in Illinois, bringing the number dead this month alone to 1,459.
On Tuesday, officials reported 144 deaths, a count higher than the previous two days, when the state saw fewer than 100 deaths each day. The governor’s administration released new projections on Monday from researchers that indicate the state will see a range of 50 to 150 deaths into June or July. Northwestern University, one of three universities involved in the state’s projections, has predicted a more dire range of 50 to 300 deaths.
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Beginning on April 23, the state saw 11 days in that originally predicted death range. On May 4, 46 deaths were reported. On May 5, the state saw its worst day with 176 fatalities. And since May 6, the state has consistently seen between 50 and 150 deaths a day, which is what the modelers predicted. The public health department on Friday said 1,553 of the fatalities have been in nursing homes.
“We haven’t passed our peak yet. We have seen more stability in our numbers, but so far, we are not seeing significant declines in key metrics like hospitalization,” Pritzker said on Tuesday. “The updates to our models reflect that data.
Pritzker’s administration has said the deaths are a lagging indicator of the virus’ spread and are difficult to predict since the virus may affect people differently. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the head of the Illinois Dept. of Public Health, last week said 90% of the fatalities in Illinois have been people with other chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Even so, Pritzker has signaled some optimism this week in revealing three of four regions in his reopening plan are “on pace” to potentially enter a new phase of reopening when his latest stay-at-home order expires on May 29. That’s based on declining hospitalization numbers, ICU use and the positivity rate of the virus.
The next phase, Phase 3, allows a number of businesses to reopen, with the use of “face coverings as the norm,” including non-essential manufacturing and some non-essential businesses, including barber shops and salons.
Pritzker this week has been delivering his daily briefing from his home office after a senior staffer tested positive for the coronavirus. The governor said he himself has tested negative twice for coronavirus.
