Illinois has surpassed 3,000 COVID-19 cases and the number of counties where it has been diagnosed continues to grow.
On Friday, Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike announced 488 new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including eight deaths. About 86 percent of the deaths were among patients 60 and older.
“We must continue to do all that we can to protect our older adults,” Ezike said. “We also much make sure there are enough medical professionals to care for those who do endure the more severe illness and attending complications.”
As of Friday, 3,026 cases, including 34 deaths, have been reported in 40 counties in Illinois. Bureau, Henry and Iroquois counties now have reported cases. Eleven cases have been confirmed (as of Friday) in Champaign County. None had been confirmed in Vermilion County.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker once again called on President Trump to use the Defense Production Act to help states get the equipment they need.
“He’s a businessman. He didn’t want to interfere with the capital markets. He wants business people to do what they do,” Pritzker said. “That’s all well and good, but we are in a crisis.”
The governor announced increases in SNAP benefits, funding to support the homeless and a stipend to child care providers who have provided child care to essential workers during the pandemic.
Pritzker said extending the “stay-at-home” order beyond April 7 was a possibility, but said no decision had been made.
“We rely upon the science, we rely upon the experts out there to tell us if we are on the right trajectory,” the governor said.
The number of cases is also growing in Indiana. State Health officials in Indiana said Friday that 981 cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed
in the state, and there have been 24 deaths in the state. In West-Central Indiana 8 cases have been discovered in Tippecanoe County, 3 cases each
in Vigo and Montgomery counties, and there has been one case each in Fountain and Warren counties.
