Coronavirus In Illinois: 23,247 Confirmed Cases, 868 Deaths; But Pritzker Says More Evidence Curve Is Flattening
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Despite 1,222 new cases of coronavirus disease in Illinois in the past day, including 74 additional deaths, Gov. JB Pritzker said there is strong evidence "we are, in fact, bending the curve," and seeing a slower rate of increase in COVID-19 cases.
"To the loved ones of those individuals, and all who we've lost in the fight against this virus, the entire state of Illinois grieves with you," Pritzker said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Illinois has 23,247 cases, including 868 deaths, in 88 counties in Illinois, according to Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike.
However, Pritzker said the state's COVID-19 doubling rate – the number of days it takes do double case counts, hospitalizations, or deaths – has been improving in recent weeks.
"At the beginning of this pandemic, our doubling rates were very low, and since we put all our executive orders in place, Illinois has seen our doubling rates increase substantially; that is a very good thing," he said.
On March 22, the number of coronavirus cases in Illinois was doubling every two days; as of April 12, the case doubling rate is up to 8.2 days, according to Pritzker. The mortality doubling rate also has increased, from 2.5 days at the beginning of April to 5.5 days now, Pritzker said.
"To be clear, there is nothing good about twice as many people having this virus, or worse, dying from it, no matter how long the increase takes; but we won't get to zero cases overnight. The fact that our doubling rate continues to increase in every metric is a clear demonstration that there is a deceleration of virus transmission. We are, in fact, bending the curve," Pritzker said.
The governor also pointed to recent drops in the number of coronavirus patients in ICU beds or on ventilators. According to Pritzker, one week ago, COVID-19 patients occupied 43% of available ICU beds in Illinois, compared to 40% today; while virus patients occupied 29% of available ventilators in Illinois, compared to 25% today.
"Both of those numbers are evidence of positive trends," Pritzker said.
However, while the governor said it's encouraging to see evidence that the state is bending the COVID-19 curve, he said it's too early to determine when he can lift restrictions like the stay at home order, or mandatory school closings.
"This curve may not flatten, and it may go up again if we don't adhere to the stay at home order. We need to stay the course for now for our efforts to truly remain effective," he said.
Pritzker said he recently began having conversations with the governors of other Midwest states about possibly coordinating efforts to lift stay at home orders, and other coronavirus-related restrictions.
"Our goal, of course, for this is to start to think about what are the preconditions for beginning to allow certain kinds of businesses to open their doors again, to expand the definition of those who can work, or those businesses that can have their doors open," Pritzker said.
He noted with no vaccine available, there are three keys to getting on a path to normalcy. The governor has repeatedly said there needs to be more widespread testing for the virus, a contact tracing system in place, and treatment to lessen the severity of COVID-19 symptoms to reduce the stress on hospitals before Illinois can start lifting any restrictions.
The governor also said there needs to be better access to personal protective equipment for the entire population, even those who can't afford to buy it on their own.
Pritzker said the governor's he has talked to have been "very positive" about the idea of coordinating efforts on a regional basis to begin lifting restrictions when medical experts say it's safe to do so.
"They've all been thinking about it individually for their states, and understand that speaking with a common voice might be a positive move," Pritzker said.
The governor said his discussions with his Midwest counterparts were not a response to President Donald Trump's claim that it will be up to him, not governors, to decide how and when to reopen the economy.
"In fact, we've been, all of us, thinking about what's next? What's next? You know, we have our stay at home order in place, the closing of schools and so on. What comes next? What are the things that trigger a change, and how much can we do, and how fast can we do it," Pritzker said.
While Pritzker said he's willing to listen to anyone – including President Trump – about plans for reopening the economy, he said "What I won't do is do anything that will jeopardize the safety and health of people here in Illinois."
"I'm fearful that the decisions that are getting made by some, or being pushed by some are not based on science; they're based on a desire for them to reopen their business, because we all want to reopen businesses. We all want people to go back to work," Pritzker said.
Meantime, the governor said he plans to talk later this week about how the coronavirus outbreak has affected his plans for the state's budget for the next fiscal year, which starts in July. Some projections have estimated billions of dollars in lost revenue, and the Illinois State Comptroller's office has announced nearly $200 million in virus-related expenses so far.
Pritzker said his financial team is working hard on calculating exactly how big the budget hole will be.
"I think no one should mistake the fact that this is going to be a very, very difficult fiscal financial challenge for the state of Illinois," he said. "We have big holes in our budgets as a result of what's happened with COVID-19. It's nobody's fault. It just is where it is and we're going to have to deal with it."