Illinois Sees 176 New COVID-19 Deaths, Largest One-Day Total So Far During Pandemic
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in Illinois surpassed 2,800 on Tuesday, as the state saw the largest one-day spike in deaths so far.
Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said there have been 176 COVID-19 deaths in the past day, bringing the state's total so far to 2,838.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois rose by 2,122 in the past day, bringing the state's total so far to 65,962.
Ezike said, as of Monday night, a total of 4,780 coronavirus patients were being treated in hospitals; including 1,266 in intensive care, and 780 on ventilators.
So far, 47% of coronavirus patients who have responded to a state survey have reported recovering from the disease within 14 days, and 75% have reported recovering within 28 days.
Meantime, Ngozi cautioned people to continue staying home as much as possible, and wearing face coverings in public, despite the state apparently flattening the curve of the virus outbreak.
"We're still in a significant war with an enemy. If this was a traditional war where there were soldiers outside of our doors in the streets, and people would be risking their lives to be outside fo their homes no one would think about the need to go to work. No one would think about getting their dog groomed. No one would think about getting their car washed," Ezike said. "But this enemy is so different. It's invisible, and maybe as a result of that we have underestimated the power and the destruction of this enemy, despite the very visible fact that more than 2,500 Illinoisans have lost their lives in just two months."
Meantime, Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled the state's plan to gradually reopen the state's economy, on a regional basis, starting no earlier than May 29. Public health officials will monitor virus developments in each of four regions of the state to determine when they can move on to the next phases of reopening, based on infection and hospitalization rates.
"We are one Illinois, but we are also one Illinois made up of 60,000 square miles, and reality on the ground looks different in different areas of our state," he said.
