Illinois Conducts More Than 20,000 COVID-19 Tests In One Day For First Time; 73,760 Total Confirmed Cases, 3,241 Deaths
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois has had 2,887 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 130 new deaths, state officials said Friday.
Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said Illinois now has a total of 73,760 confirmed coronavirus cases in 98 counties, including 3,241 deaths.
As of Thursday night, there were 4,750 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, including 1,222 people in intensive care, and 727 on ventilators.
"During this unprecedented time, as we battle a worldwide pandemic caused by this novel virus that we're continuing to learn about, please know that your public health officials at the state, local county, city level are sharing as much information with you as we possibly can to help keep you healthy and safe," Ezike said.
The state conducted 20,671 virus tests in the past 24 hours, for a positivity rate of about 14%, according to Ezike. It was the first time during the pandemic that Illinois has conducted more than 20,000 virus tests in a single day.
According to Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois now ranks 2nd among the 10 most populous states in the U.S. in the number of tests performed per capita over the past week. He said Illinois also ranks 5th in the entire U.S. for total tests conducted during the pandemic.
"Testing is fundamental to our ability to reopen the economy while controlling the spread of this virus. That's what it takes to keep the public safe," Pritzker said. "Even if we're one of the best states in the nation on testing, we know it's not enough to be where we need to be on a longer timeframe."
To date, the state has conducted 399,714 tests.
Pritzker said Illinois now has 244 public testing sites across the state, and will open three new drive-thru testing sites next week.
Pekin-based Reditus Labs also has set up a drive-thru testing site at Smithfield Foods' meat processing plant in Monmouth, to test every employee so the facility can reopen safely. The plant has been closed since April 24, after some of its 1,700 employees tested positive for the virus.
Reditus Labs will open similar drive-thru testing sites at 20 other meat processing facilities throughout the country. Co-owner Dr. Aaron Rossi said they have hired 75 new employees in the past 3-4 weeks to help create COVID-19 testing kits.
Meantime, the Illinois Restaurant Association has requested the governor consider allowing restaurants to open sooner under his regional reopening plan. Pritzker's five-phase plan would allow restaurants to reopen under Phase 4, under capacity limits set by the Illinois Department of Public Health, no sooner than late June.
Illinois Restaurant Association president Sam Toia has said restaurants can't survive until the end of June when most of them already have been closed for weeks, and even those that are open for delivery or pickup have seen up to an 80% drop in sales.
However, Pritzker said restaurants are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus, because of how much more difficult it is to practice social distancing at restaurants than at other businesses.
"It's very difficult to socially distance, as between a server and the food – the server, the food, and delivery of food to the table – it's also difficult even to seat people at tables the way they're normally configured in a six-foot distance for everybody that's sitting at a table," he said. "I think you'd probably add to that the dishwasher, and the chef in the back, the bartender, and so on. Just the number of people who kind of come in contact with the thing that you're ultimately getting delivered to you, and that can't be delivered in a socially distant way is the reason."
The governor said that's why state officials and health experts want to see what happens with the virus outbreak when other businesses are allowed to open under approved safety guidance during Phase 3 before allowing restaurants to reopen. He said that doesn't mean restaurants couldn't reopen earlier than now planned, but he wants to make sure the state has a chance to see the impact of reopening other businesses before phasing in restaurants.
Pritzker said he agrees with Toia that the federal government needs to provide more assistance for restaurants across the nation survive during the pandemic.
"I want, as much as anyone, to make sure that small businesses are able to open; and so many restaurants and bars out there, some people who've risked their capital, and their time, and effort, and energy to start those businesses, and I know they are devastated," the governor said.
The governor also said he's been in touch with the commissioners of every major professional sports league about their plans for starting or restarting their seasons safely, and he's hopeful some or all of them will be able to resume games without fans in the stands sometime this summer or fall.
"I want to see sports play, and I think it's good for everybody. I think they can do it here in Illinois, and especially if you look at the timetable, there's a high likelihood that they could do it within the timetable that we're hoping that we'll be able to reopen many businesses," he said.
He also said there's no reason pro sports teams would have to play games in other states with faster reopening plans, noting that none of the leagues has suggested reopening with fans in the seats.
"They are all looking for television, the ability to broadcast a game," he said.
Pritzker said the league's commissioners all have indicated they plan to share with him their plans for resuming games so the state's medical experts can review them to make sure they fit within the reopening plan in Illinois.