State and local officials are gearing up for the possibility of more coronavirus cases in Illinois, even while saying the risk of infection in the state remains low.
The state is taking precautionary measures to ensure public safety, including expanding testing across Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday.
“We’re ready to put the full weight of the state behind a full-fledged response when needed,” Pritzker said in a news conference at the Thompson Center.
Next week, the state expects to open two new state coronavirus testing laboratories in Springfield and Carbondale, in addition to the current state lab in Cook County. Illinois was the first state able to conduct in-state testing, allowing doctors to receive results within 24 hours. In a news briefing Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced plans to have every state and local health department able to test for coronavirus by the end of next week.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of immunization and respiratory diseases at the CDC, acknowledged flaws with some of testing kits sent to some health departments earlier this month, which delayed results. Only a few states, including Illinois, initially were able to properly test for the virus.
“As I’ve said before, this has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked,” Messonnier said.
In addition, select hospitals will begin taking samples from patients who display flu-like systems but do not have the flu and sending those samples to one of the three labs.
The state Health Department has launched a statewide hotline, 1-800-889-3931 and hotline email, dph.sick@illinois.gov, where residents can ask questions or report a suspected case.
The CDC warned Tuesday that the virus will likely begin to spread in the U.S. and Americans should prepare accordingly.
But Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday that Chicagoans have no real cause for alarm.
“I want to stress to residents that the chances of contracting the virus continue to remain low,” Lightfoot said. “Our residents should continue and enjoy the city, its neighborhoods, particularly Chinatown, and its amenities as they normally do. Fear can not guide us in this moment.”
More than 100 staff members from the city Health Department are involved in the city’s coronavirus response, according to Director Allison Arwady.
City health staff have been at O’Hare International Airport every day, distributing thermometers and collecting information as a complement to the CDC’s federal screening.
Arwady said the city Health Department also is monitoring hundreds of recently returned travelers and arranging testing if they display symptoms. The department also is monitoring hospital bed availability and updating health care partners.
“Here in Chicago and here in Illinois, our public health systems are strong, we are at a point where we are focusing all of our resources on every individual case,” Arwady said.
So far, there have been two confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Illinois. A Chicago woman gave the disease to her husband, marking the first instance of the respiratory coronavirus spreading from one person to another in the United States.
While there is no vaccine for the coronavirus, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Department of Public Health director, said the two Illinois patients responded well to inpatient hospital care.
As of Friday, there were at least 62 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. Of those, 47 people were brought back to the country by the U.S. State Department. As of Friday, there were 76 patients under investigation in Illinois, with 70 testing negative.
Public health officials urge residents to take the same precautions as they would during flu season; cover mouths when coughing, washing hands and staying home if sick.
Chicago Tribune’s Angie Leventis Lourgos contributed.
