Gov. J.B. Pritzker might soon lift the coronavirus timeout he imposed last month on the far south suburbs, as public health officials on Thursday announced the latest set of generally encouraging COVID-19 numbers.
Another 1,941 people statewide were confirmed to carry the virus among 52,311 tests submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health. That raised the state’s testing positivity rate over the last week by a notch to 3.7%, but that key gauge of how quickly the virus is spreading is still down almost a full percentage point over the last two weeks.
And it’s sunk to 6.4% in Will and Kankakee counties, where Pritzker banned indoor dining in late August after positivity rates soared over 8% across the region. If it stays below 6.5% for three days, restrictions will be lifted.
“Masks, distance, hand-washing, enforcement — it all works, and Will and Kankakee counties are, so far, getting the job done. And we’re all rooting for them,” the Democratic governor said during a Loop news conference.
Most of the state’s 11 regions have seen stable or declining positivity rates over the last two weeks, including the downstate Metro East region, the first one that Pritzker’s health team clamped down on as rates jumped to double digits. It’s down to 8.9%, which the governor called “a testament to the fact that these doctor-recommended mitigations can work if they are followed.”
All Chicago-area regions are below 6.5%, with the city at 5.1% and suburban Cook County at 5.5%.
But the Illinois Department of Public Health also announced its worst daily COVID-19 death toll since the start of month as the virus claimed 35 more lives, including a Cook County man in his 30s. Since March, 8,367 people have died after contracting the coronavirus.
Among almost 4.9 million tests administered, 266,151 Illinoisans have tested positive for COVID-19. As of Tuesday night, 1,565 Illinois coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 345 in intensive care units and 143 on ventilators.
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With a more predictable virus season arriving during the heart of a pandemic, Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike urged residents to get a flu shot.
“One of the things we clearly don’t want to see is what it looks like to have the co-infection of influenza and COVID-19,” she said, adding that tending to residents’ mental health is equally important.
“This is probably the hardest time for almost everyone in this state and around the world. If you feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, please seek mental health services,” Ezike said. “It’s not a sign of weakness, but of strength. It takes strength to ask for help. And right now we could all use some form of assistance in one form or another.”
