COVID-19 deaths in Illinois surpass 500

Posted on April 9, 2020
Dr. Ngozi Ezike (center) and Gov. Pritzker update the state on COVID-19. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – At Thursday’s daily coronavirus briefing, Gov. JB Pritzker said he is optimistic about Illinois’ testing capacity but is seeking more swabs.

“I think the biggest challenge is that they are only providing a limited number of swabs,” Pritzker said. “Our intention is to do as much testing as we possibly can in those drive-thru sites. But I just want to make it clear that taking a swab is not doing a test. Taking a swab is taking a specimen and then putting it in a vial and then shipping that vial somewhere to where the test is done.”

And for those of you thinking of summer festivals, Pritzker advises you to forget it. And as for a return to normalcy, “We are not going to truly begin to be able to move on until we have much greater testing, contact tracing, and treatment. Test, trace, and treat. We have to have those available, even before there’s a vaccine,” said the governor.

The numbers released Thursday are 1,344 new coronavirus cases and 66 additional deaths in Illinois, for totals of 16,422 cases and 528 deaths.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

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