* Gov. Pritzker talked about frontline state workers who cannot work from home today. Employees at DCFS, Veterans Affairs and IDHS were all singled out…
I want to express my gratitude to these state workers who have made public service their life’s work. They’re still doing their jobs every day, spending hours away from their own families to care for some of our most vulnerable residents. They are our heroes.
Please remember to excuse all typos.
* IDVA Director Chapa LaVia…
We are responding to a single positive case of an employee at our veterans’ home at Manteno, which is a standalone building on the Manteno property that provides housing and supportive services for our homeless veterans. The employee is home recovering. Our prayers are with them and their family.
* DCFS Director Smith…
Today, 88% of our DCFS workforce no longer report to an office. But even with that change, we are still providing the support that families and communities depend on.
I am proud to announce every call center worker at the abuse and neglect hotline, for the past two weeks, every call center worker has been taking calls from the safety of their home.
In addition, we are allowing caseworkers to practice social distancing while they continue to check on the well being of our kids. Starting on March 20, DCFS announced new guidelines for caseworkers, residential monitors and birth parents, giving them the ability to use phone and video to replace many of their in person contacts with their children.
However, the reality is to ensure that we are keeping children safe, and some in person contact must continue. DCFS has provided protective gear to our frontline staff and to the staff of our private partners who have asked for assistance. Over the last two weeks DCFS has distributed more than 400,000 protective gloves and 15,000 masks, and disinfecting, and cleaning supplies across the state.
* IDHS Director Grace Ho…
Our 14 24/7 facilities across the state serve about 3400 people a day with about 6500 staff who come to work every day. […]
This past Monday, we closed all but 13 public facing offices and urged people to stay at home and to access services online, and by phone. We made the hard decision to keep these few public facing offices open so that community members had at least some in person, opportunities to meet with our caseworkers.
* On to questions for the governor. Reports that African-Americans are particular susceptible. Is that true in Illinois?…
IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike: We are still early in this disease, but we have some information in terms of the people that it has been affected will continue to follow it. But if that were to bear out, I think, as we put on our health equity lens we already know before COVID was ever established that the health outcomes for various communities are already different and those were already things at the Illinois Department of Health and all of our local health department, help local health departments have been very keyed in on how to narrow those disparities. So if you know that those disparities exist in terms of health outcomes you can imagine that overlaying a new disease is only going to exacerbate whatever inequities already exist. So, the Department of Health at the local state level will continue to try to address these disparities. But, as I’m saying you know it’s early we’re still looking at our data, but if that were to bear out, we would not be entirely surprised because of, we know what the existing baseline is.
* When can we expect tests for whether people have already contracted the virus?…
First of all, they have the ability to do this test today. It’s not in mass form so we can’t do it as many of those as even we can the COVID 19 test today. But it will be readily available. And why is it so important because as the doctor said if we know that a certain number of people are immune, and we know that that population is increasing because people, more people are getting COVID 19 and many, vast majority are recovering from COVID 19, so they develop the antibodies. […]
I don’t know [when they will be available] nobody’s told me you know that well gee four weeks from now we’ll be able to do this in mass form. But suffice to say I think as one of the glimmers of hope here is that we’ll be able to know if you’ve had it.
* A White House Deputy Director of media affairs tells us Illinois has received more than 500,095 masks, as well as other types of masks, face shields, other equipment and 300 ventilators as well as 1 million PPEs for first responders, is this equipment in use in Illinois and where do we stand on supply?…
Well, I can’t go through every single one of those items a PP but let me give you an example of something you just read off 500,095 masks.
Listen, it will take everything we can get. So 500,000 is you know I’m thankful for 500,000. The reality is that we’ve put in a request for 7 million. We need millions more than that, in fact, because remember our first responders, our healthcare workers, you know they’re using them in the hospitals, and sometimes reusing them for a couple of days even, but eventually they do need to discard them.
* Is everything that we’ve gotten from the feds here in Illinois, has it been able to be used?…
We became aware of ventilators that were sent to California, you may have heard this, and there was a celebration by the White House and of course by people in California that there were hundreds of ventilators sent to California. By the way, they need thousands and so do we. But they received hundreds it turns out many of them didn’t work. Ventilators, can you imagine sending that to a hospital and having that proposed for use on somebody who needs it at that moment and then finding out that it doesn’t work?
So we now are going through every single ventilator we received. I believe a total of 450 ventilators, we assumed frankly that they would be operational Why would you send us non operational ones but now that we’ve heard that other states have received some that aren’t operational? Well we’re going through every single one of those ventilators.
* “Is wearing some sort of face covering a recommendation or requirement?” The reporter could’ve just Googled that to see there was no such order. The governor covered the same ground as he did at yesterday’s presser about the advantages of wearing a mask. The number of time-wasting questions appears to be increasing by the day.
* In the wake of two Walmart employee deaths out of Evergreen Park and other confirmed positives from stores in Chicago are there contingency plans in place to both one further protect these employees and to also prepare for a scenario where staffing at these stores may be an issue due to sick calls…
Well we are encouraging certainly the the essential workforce and the essential businesses that are open to all take care of themselves the businesses themselves, they know that they’re their workers are vital. Many of the businesses in fact have increased the pay to the people who are coming to work because they know how vital these folks are, they want to give them an additional incentive. And I would suggest as I have that people wear masks in any circumstance in which they’re going to be coming in contact with the public and on a regular basis, so that they don’t get it and again that they’re not giving it to anybody that they come in contact with
Notice that he didn’t answer the question about a contingency plan.
* We keep getting calls in the newsroom complaints from people about conditions at senior living facilities, and a lack of social distancing or protective gear at places of work like factories and postal facilities. Where do you recommend people call, or what should they do if they feel like orders aren’t being followed and proper precautions aren’t being taken…
I would make two recommendations. So one is there is a Department of Public Health, either in your city or in your county, and they should certainly be notified if there are groups of people whether it’s in an essential workforce situation or in public. If there are groups of people gathering, not wearing masks, you know, and there’s a danger to the people that are there, and there is if there’s a group of more than 10 people and they’re not doing social distancing so that that’s one thing that I would suggest doing, you know, I think it’s okay also to go to your employer. And if your employer is not listening to go to another level of authority and that might include your local elected officials or your local police department to just say look it’s unsafe.
* Yet another question about when Illinois will hit the peak. This question is asked every day. The answer has not changed.
* Are you frustrated that there are some states out there that still haven’t gone with a stay at home order?…
I’m frustrated for the people who live in those states. I mean I’m frustrated for us too. If you look at some of our border states who just went to stay at home or haven’t even gone to stay at home yet, then you know it’s obviously this has an effect on Illinois. […]
Let me be clear that while we can talk about those individual states, this should have been the job of the federal government to give guidance, in fact to set orders for the country. Because we know how this virus travels, we know it, why I don’t understand why the federal government has abdicated its role of leadership, addressing this virus.
* The president expanded the use of the DPA earlier this week is that enough, and do you want to see it play more of a centralized role in parts of production and distribution of medical goods?…
Let me start by saying that, as someone who used to be in business before I was a governor, I don’t like the federal government or the state government, anybody interfering in the private market generally speaking. But it’s a national emergency for God’s sakes. You know the defense production act is exactly designed for these kinds of circumstances. We are at war, it is a different kind of a war than we’ve ever had before, against the virus, but we are at war, and we have the ability to produce PPE in this country and distribute it so that we have enough of it in every state as we need it. And we have the ability, we had the ability to produce enough ventilators so that we could reach at peak, everybody that would need a ventilator in this country. But again, the White House failed to use the defense production act to do this to help us across the country. The White House, I can’t invoke the defense production act. They’ve only invoked it for a couple of individual circumstances. Right. And it took them forever. When did when did they do it with regard to 3M and, you know, it’s just the other day right and then just two to three days before that it was General Motors on ventilators. Well guess what, if you ask General Motors, when are the first ventilators coming out may well most states if you look at all the models most states are going to peak, many anyway are going to peak in April. And they could have started this in February. And we would have been fine, but we’re not, and it’s very upsetting.
* Yet another question asked about hospital beds that could be easily answered with a Google search. Moving on.
* Companies are threatening sick employees with their jobs that they don’t immediately return to work and these employees don’t want to spread the virus but also can’t afford to lose their job. What should these people do?…
They should report their companies, because we won’t Stanford companies that are demanding that sick people return to work. At this moment in our history we’re fighting COVID 19 and those companies should be reported.
* The Adams County Health Department says 50 to 100 people were together at a party the day that your stay at home order went into effect. Some people at that party now have coronavirus. Why do you think people aren’t taking this seriously?…
Well, let me say that most people really are, the vast majority of people in Illinois are taking it seriously and we should all be very proud of that I think you see it. Certainly if you live in Chicago or Springfield or Carbondale, you can see it just walk outside it’s Saturday. There are not very many people around. So, thank you to the people of Illinois who are taking this seriously and that really is almost all of you.
Some people aren’t, we saw that on the lakefront in Chicago. We saw that in some parks in downstate areas of Illinois. And all I can say is that those people either are not paying attention to the news or they’re stupid. That’s all I can say. I mean there’s no reason why somebody should be ignoring this. You could be giving it to your own family. And you could get it yourself. And then we’re not asking much, we really are not I mean at this moment, we’re asking you to stay at home to protect people for some number of weeks now. And, you should listen, because you’re putting everybody in danger.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,453 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 33 additional deaths.
Cook County: 1 male 20s, 1 male 30s, 1 female 40s, 2 males 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 3 females 70s, 6 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
DuPage County: 1 male 70s, 1 female 100+
Jackson County: 1 female 90s
Kane County: 1 female 60s, 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s
Kankakee County: 1 male 70s
Lake County: 1 female 80s
Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s
Jasper, Lee, Mason, and Pike counties are now reporting cases. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 10,357 cases, including 243 deaths, in 68 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
As dozens of nuclear power plants prepare for intricate refueling operations this spring, they’ll be without the usual complement of on-site inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has told its monitors to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An Adams County man, in his 20s, recovering from COVID-19 at Blessing Hospital has been linked to two large gatherings, Adams County Public Health Administrator Jerrod Welch said Saturday.
“During the course of a recent contact investigation, the department became aware of a large social gathering, characterized as a party, of an estimated 50-100 individuals that occurred on March 21st in rural Adams County outside of Lima, Illinois,” the health department said in a written statement. […]
Welch said the patient was also linked to a party of an estimated 25 individuals that occurred on March 27 in Quincy.
* State and local governments are allowed to restrict or even block access to geographic areas as part of the state disaster declaration…
Some Chicago police officers Tuesday were assigned to check the identification of anyone who wanted to enter four historically violent West Side blocks in an effort to tamp down gang gatherings.
Under the order, issued by Harrison District Cmdr. Darrell Spencer, only people who live on those blocks would be able to enter them.
Think of a massive flood. The authorities don’t want people possibly injuring themselves or looting flooded areas, so they bar or limit access.
Since Tuesday, officers in the Chicago Police Department’s Harrison District have been ordered to issue dispersal orders to groups of more than 10 people congregating on four West Side blocks, including the one on West Gladys Avenue where Harrison District Cmdr. Darrell Spencer owns a three-flat.
1) There is no actual “shelter in place order,” which makes me think the language didn’t come from the top;
2) The governor has barred non-essential travel, but he has also said he doesn’t want overt police enforcement like this and he has not issued any specific order about that particular neighborhood, so this looks like passing the blame up the food chain to deflect from a possible abuse of local police powers.
* Let’s move on to a press release from the The Chicago Newspaper Guild, which represents reporters at the Sun-Times, Joliet Herald-News and others…
The Chicago News Guild is accordingly calling on public officials at all levels of government to respond in a manner which prioritizes workers’ basic needs, demanding they “immediately and indefinitely waive the collection of all rent, mortgage, utility, and debt payments.”
I asked the Guild yesterday what possible legal authority that state or local governments have to accomplish these goals. Here’s the response…
We want to draw government officials’ attention to the difficult circumstances workers across the city, state, and country are facing right now, and push those officials to act in a way that safeguards our basic needs like healthcare and housing. We don’t advocate a specific solution or piece of legislation, but are in favor of a response that prioritizes relief for workers and their families.
I replied that the news release looked awfully specific to me. Response…
As a union that represents journalists, the Guild has traditionally avoided making any political endorsements or individuals or legislation. Our membership also includes Cook County Court Interpreters, union organizers and activists with the SEIU and AFT, and a message of solidarity and support for the needs of working people was important to them. But we are not at this time pushing a specific legislative response or mechanism for that support.
Then maybe they need to drop the specific demands.
I’m growing increasingly alarmed about demands from the left that state and local governments should just ignore the state and US Constitutions during this crisis and take unilateral, even dictatorial actions to further their policy agendas. A union representing journalists, who live and die by the 1st Amendment, ought to also acknowledge the 4th and 5th Amendments.
* Yes, traditional legislative niceties were not followed here. Maybe the governor should’ve given a local legislator a heads up (although I kinda doubt that Sen. Robert Peters got a call before they stood up the McCormick Place field unit), but also maybe the local legislator ought to slightly cool his jets…
The state will buy the former Vibra hospital in Springfield to use as an alternate care facility should area hospitals run out of space to treat coronavirus patients. […]
However, Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, blasted Pritzker for not giving him a heads up about the announcement. He said he was left fielding calls from constituents who heard about the facility but he could not provide them with any details. […]
“I guess they plan to use this for overflow or something,” he said. “Does that mean we’re bringing COVID patients into Sangamon County from around the state? I have no idea. I think those are the concerns that the people that I represent want to know as well. It’s my understanding from the local hospitals they feel pretty confident where they are at right now.”
I like Tim. I think he does well for his district. But, right now ain’t peak time, Tim. And Springfield has been a regional medical provider for decades. Stoking fears of “outsiders” is irresponsible because outsiders have always been transferred to Springfield. Rural areas for miles around Springfield do not have adequate hospital systems, particularly during a crisis.
At the start of a normal week, Dr. Christopher O’Connor of Hinsdale would be in an operating room at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, taking care of a patient undergoing surgery. This week started with O’Connor manning a newly outfitted intensive care unit specially designed to treat COVID-19 patients.
“I spent two very long days Monday and Tuesday in this new intensive care unit,” says O’Connor, who worked back-to-back 12-hour shifts inserting breathing tubes into critically ill patients and monitoring their conditions. Not only are more patients needing ventilators, but the entire procedure has changed.
“A COVID patient who has viral pneumonia, they are a different animal completely,” says O’Connor, a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in Schaumburg. “They are more challenging to ventilate.” […]
A typical patient might spend two or three days on a ventilator, but COVID-19 patients tend to remain on the machines for 10 to 14 days.
* A tale of two Pritzker administration responses. Here’s one, from Mark Brown…
In a state where the government usually operates on the basis of buy now, pay later (often much, much later), the emergency of the coronavirus pandemic has required a decidedly different approach.
About two weeks ago, Illinois officials tracked down a supply of 1.5 million potentially life-saving N95 respirator masks in China through a middleman in the Chicago area and negotiated a deal to buy them.
One day before they were expecting to complete the purchase, they got a call in the morning from the supplier informing them he had to get a check to the bank by 2 p.m. that day, or the deal was off. Other bidders had surfaced.
Realizing there was no way the supplier could get to Springfield and back by the deadline, Illinois assistant comptroller Ellen Andres jumped in her car and raced north on I-55 with a check for $3,469,600.
The COO [of the company which owns high-end suit maker Hart Schaffner and Marx] said he is trying to get the green light from the state to start producing protective masks.
“First and foremost there are people that need surgical masks and surgical gowns. We have a factory that is sitting idle,” said Ken Ragland of Hart Schaffner and Marx. […]
“We’re beyond frustrated, we’re angry. Very much emotional about it because we know we can help,” said Ragland.
The Illinois Department of Central Management Services or “CMS” confirms it was contacted by W Diamond Group, the company that owns Hart Schaffner and Marx. In a statement to ABC7, CMS says it’s “…working with vendors of every size and industry to support the needs of State agencies during the COVID-19 response. We are working with interested businesses offering support, including W Diamond Group, to help them navigate the process to quickly and efficiently provide critical materials and services, like personal protective equipment to State agencies.”
Not good. I’ve asked the governor’s office for a response.
*** UPDATE *** This statement from the governor’s office appears to say in a roundabout way that the clothier doesn’t meet FDA guidelines and should maybe take a chill pill…
The Governor’s Office appreciates the hard work and genuine efforts of Illinoisans who are stepping up during this challenging time. We have connected manufacturers with no previous PPE experience interested in helping out by manufacturing needed supplies to our partners working on a personal protection equipment taskforce with IMA and iBio. PPE for our first responders and healthcare workers is required to meet FDA guidelines like being manufactured in a specific factory environment with certain quality controls.
* Not the same sort of mask, but maybe adequate for a grocery run…
The apparent object is to stop your droplets from issuing forth. If you can keep it from slipping off it should be great.
* Gov. Pritzker held his press conference today at McCormick Place, the site of a new field hospital…
The teams on the ground here have brought everything to the table for Illinois. In less than a week’s time, they’ve assembled 500 rooms and beds, 14 nursing stations, and full support rooms for supply storage, pharmacy needs and housekeeping. In one week’s time the heroes who came together to make this possible built us a facility larger than the largest hospital in Illinois.
One week, and they will be building out to 3000 beds, before the end of the month.
Again, please pardon all typos. Mistakes are most likely in transcription, not in what is being said.
* More capacity…
We’ve also launched work on three other sites in Chicago and the collar counties, the former Advocate Sherman Hospital campus in Elgin, the Metro South Health Center in Blue Island and Westlake Hospital in Cook County’s Melrose Park.
And today, I am proud to share with you our next site, Vibra Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, which will begin to add more beds to our capacity in Central Illinois.
* Staffing…
Preparing also means proactively assembling the healthcare workers who will bring these facilities to life. A hospital bed is just a bed until it has the staff and equipment to turn it into a place to treat COVID 19. We’ve already assembled the medical personnel who will staff these first 500 beds, nearly 140 healthcare heroes from around Illinois and the nation are ready to work here, and we’ll be adding many hundreds more as the need evolves.
* Masks…
There’s a reason that we’re raised to cover your mouth, or use your elbow, when you cough or sneeze. It’s a simple gesture to reduce the number of germs that you spread to those around you. The doctors all agree that this virus can be spread through droplets, like when you sneeze or cough. So blocking that by wearing a mask in public seems like a common sense way to do what’s right for everyone around you.
The most important thing you could do, frankly is stay home. But when you do go outside, or when you must go to the grocery store, pharmacy, wearing something to cover your face is a good idea, based upon what the science says. Maybe it’s a homemade fabric mask, or maybe it’s a manufacturer, general medical mask, really just something to cover your nose and mouth out of courtesy to those around you. In case you’re one of those who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, and who could be spreading the virus, wearing a mask is just one more way that we can help take care of one another in our state.
* Mayor Lightfoot…
I want to also acknowledge Paul Merrick, the CEO of DuPage Medical. Folks, we would have no staffing here without DuPage Medical, and the men and women from an executive team who have stepped up to provide the real services that are going to be necessary.
* More Lightfoot…
Starting Wednesday, we will be making 200 rooms in London House and 225 rooms in the Godfrey Hotel open for healthcare workers
* Major General Robert F. Whittle, US Army Corps of Engineers…
We have eight awarded contracts now across the United States. Three of them are here in Illinois, and this is a testament again to leadership here.
* Press release: “This is snapshot in time data captured at 10am on April 3, 2020. The numbers will change frequently as the state works to increase capacity and new patients need care”…
* On to questions for the governor and the mayor. Where did you get the medical personnel?…
Dr. Nick Turkal, who is the executive director of the new facility: The state has been very helpful at IEMA with helping us to provide test nurses and other providers. DuPage Medical is volunteering and bringing a number of their staff to help with both leadership, and then also to work here as doctors, nurses and other health care providers. We’re in discussions now with additional people who may be able to help us. And that may include local university medical centers. It may include people from out of state at times but our focus will be on staff with local knowledge and expertise, but don’t disrupt the local hospital ecosystem. We want the hospitals to be able to keep all their employees with them doing the work that they need to do there, so that we really become overflow or release of the strain on those hospitals.
* Dr. Turkal was also asked if the PPE supplies are adequate…
That I think is an ongoing concern for our entire nation. There are discussions at the federal level about how that will be distributed in the coming weeks. And I think we have to say ‘more to come’ on that. We will keep up with it, and do the very best that we can.
* Dr. Turkal on staffing levels…
We are planning on 12 hour shifts. And part of the reason for that is to reduce the use of PPE. If we have three shifts a day we have more people coming in and out for nothing more than materials that are so critically important right now. So, we believe 12 hour shifts are the best. And if you look around healthcare today, 12 hour shifts are the norm in many places, not very concerned about burnout. As far as days on and off. We will flex that according to the needs of the staff, and that that is not finalized yet.
* For the governor: How many people should Illinois be testing a day, and how long is it going to take to get to that point? Is the state struggling to test its population at a sufficient level?…
Well I have been saying I think every single day that I’ve had a press conference and maybe days before that, that we are, we do not have enough tests. The federal government said they were going to provide millions of tests, and all the states relied upon that promise and it still hasn’t happened.
So we’ve taken it upon ourselves to grow our testing capability, as you know in our first days we used our state labs in one shift which is all we ever had in our state labs to begin with, with three labs, 200, a day at each lab that was all we could do at the very beginning today. Now we’re doing around 5000 on average per day. And we’re trying to get to 10,000 per day, frankly, I’d like to be at 100,000 per day if we could but right now the testing supplies the swabs everything about the tests are very difficult to come by and there’s no federal plan for this.
So every state is on their own, as I said, it’s the Wild West out here, but my plan and our plan working with our experts and scientists epidemiologist is if we can get to 10,000 per day, that helps us both test the people that will you know come forward with symptoms on any given day, and give us meaningful data, which is a hugely important tip so we know where the outbreaks are taking place. And when we need to, on an emergency basis test for example at a nursing home or in some congregate facility we can test everybody all at once, 200 or 300 people at a time. So it’s extraordinarily important that we build up that testing capability as I talked about yesterday. We’ve bought machines we’ve bought tests we’ve reached out to every company. I’ve been on with CEOs of all the companies that do it Roshan Abbott and so on. And we’re doing everything we can to build up our testing capability, because we’re getting no help from anywhere else.
* What is the responsibility of residential building managers to communicate to their tenants, when there are positive COVID cases in their buildings?…
Chicago Health Director: If someone is living in a multi-unit apartment building for example, and they’re able to return to their home and be isolated at home. There is not a need to notify across that whole building, as long as we believe that the individual is able to be isolated at home just as they would.
* What about what Jared Kushner had to say from the White House, that some states don’t know what they have in their inventory before requesting equipment from the federal government?…
Well, let me start with this. I don’t know if Jared Kushner knows this, but it’s called the United States of America. And the federal government, which has a stockpile, is supposed to be backstopping the states. He apparently does not know that.
Now at the state level, we have stockpiles at the city level we have stockpiles. And, you know, we’re using them now. I don’t think anybody expected a respiratory pandemic. That would deplete, all of the respiratory stockpiles that exists and that we would be, and that the federal government would abdicate its role and have 50 states, five territories. On top of that, all competing with one another and competing against the federal government to get the PPE that’s necessary. So I think Jared Kushner just does not understand this issue. He does not understand what the federal government’s role is supposed to be in a national emergency.
* Mayor Lightfoot…
I think the governor just showed incredible restraint under the circumstances. He’s 100% right. We shouldn’t have to beg the federal government to step up and assume his responsibility here. When we hear from the head of the CDC, that the Federal stockpile, the Federal stockpile only has 10,000 ventilators. The question we should ask is what the heck has the Trump administration been doing over the last three and a half years? What that tells me, what that tells public health professionals across the nation is that the federal government has failed to do the planning that it needs on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to be prepared.
So we’re not waiting for the feds, we’re doing what is necessary. The governor and his team have been working tirelessly to source, the materials that we need to bring to Illinois. But my own mind, somebody like Jared Kushner casting aspersions on the hard work of governors across this country who have been working tirelessly, night and day to be leaders, and to care for the residents in their states that tells you a lot about the character of him.
* Can you tell us what models you’re looking at?…
Pritzker: We’ll look at any model that is well put together and you know the mayor has developed a model for the city we develop one for the state. We’re looking at the regions of the state, we actually have a team that works together now looking at all their statisticians, mathematicians physicists, scientists, we’re looking at that, to make sure that we’re it evolves as we know more information. So, you know, we looked at the University of Washington model, that’s one model to look at. We had a University of Illinois UIUC model as well. There was one that was developed by a consulting firm here in the city of Chicago as well. So, collectively what we’re looking at is, and remember what we’re trying to determine with these models. We’re trying to determine is, what is the height of this look like what is the peak look like, and therefore what resources are necessary for us to have on hand, and to treat the people who are going to be hospitalized. Those who will need ICU beds, those who will need ventilators. And so collectively I think the mayor and I both have said in different ways, in different press conferences over the last couple of days that we believe based upon the various models that we’ve looked at, and the collective one that’s still being worked on that somewhere between the middle of April, and the end of April, might be the peak.
Now I want everybody to understand that just because you say you’re going to hit a peak does not mean that you’re then precipitously going to fall on the other side of that peak to zero. That does not happen. What we need to know about the peak and the reason we’re all looking at it is because of the resources necessary at the height, because that’s what you need to have on hand. That’s how many ventilators you need. And so once we get to that peak, we’re all going to be praying that we come off that peak quickly, but we might not, we might be flattened at that peak.
That is flattening the curve. And then we want it to fall of course but I just, I think people may misunderstand what the use of a model, it isn’t going to tell us exactly everything that’s going to happen every day. It does help us to know how well we’re doing against what our projections were so that as we move forward we can move resources around. You heard Governor Cuomo in New York talk about the when they come off of their peak they may be able to send ventilators to other parts of the country. I hope that’s true. And certainly, if we can do that if we come off of our peak, and we can help some other hotspot across the country we’re going to try to do that too. We want to be helpful to everybody across the country as best we can, but our first and foremost duty is to protect the people of the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois, and we’re going to do that.
* What about legal liability?…
Dr. Nick: I might ask the governor to address that we’re very pleased about the executive order. I’ll say most healthcare professionals come with liability insurance, but in a crisis like this, we’re very appreciative of the state’s efforts to say, we’re going to take care of liability.
Subscribers know more about this week’s executive order.
* Is it possible that we might see not a lot of patients here and it’s just preparing for the worst. Is that part of discussions?…
From your lips to God’s ears. That is honestly what we are praying for. If no patient ends up at McCormick Place, then we will have done our job people, will have stayed at home, they will have done what they needed to do to bend this curve and for people not to get sick. So I pray that that’s an accurate assessment.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 1,209 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 53 additional deaths.
- Christian County: 1 female 80s
- Cook County: 1 male 30s, 1 female 50s, 4 male 50s, 4 females 60s, 6 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 2 females 70s, 6 males 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 4 females 90s, 1 female 100s
- DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 70s
- Kane County: 1 female 90s
- Kankakee County: 1 female 40s, 1 male 80s
- Lake County: 1 male 40s, 2 female 60s, 4 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Will County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
DeWitt, Effingham, and Jersey counties are now reporting cases. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 8,904 cases, including 210 deaths, in 64 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
* Let’s start out by stipulating that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has done a tremendous job of convincing Chicagoans to stay home. She has inspired her city like no other mayor before. Nobody could ever dispute that.
But, Lightfoot also has a habit of saying things that appear to be so rosy as to flatly contradict the evidence at hand. For instance, this is from February 26…
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday she’s “very disappointed” in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for fanning the flames of fear about the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, is warning Americans to start preparing now for “the expectation that this might be bad,” triggering a severe disruption in their daily lives.
Messonnier argued the question was no longer if the coronavirus will start spreading in the United States, but when.
That may require what she called, “social distancing measures” that include smaller classes or closing schools, canceling meetings and conferences and allowing employees to work from home. […]
“I will candidly tell you that I was very disappointed with the comments of the CDC yesterday and members of the Trump administration around coronavirus,” Lightfoot said.
“At the end of the day, though, the single biggest reason why we would come to Chicago or somewhere else is that governor feels that there’s a very, very critical requirement,” Semonite said. […]
About a week ago, Semonite said he was notified by the secretary of the Army that Pritzker was “very, very concerned about the bed shortage up here.”
A division commander, Major Gen. Mark Toy, then met with Pritzker, and construction was launched on the McCormick Place’“alternative care facility,” which is short of a full-blown hospital.
So at about the same time Lightfoot was saying “we’re fine,” the governor was frantically urging the federal government to stand up a massive field hospital in the city.
“We prepare all year round for these kinds of emergencies. I mean, this is unprecedented, of course. But we are doing OK in terms of our stockpile of the personal protective equipment, the PPE that you hear a lot about. Ventilators, we’re in pretty good shape for now. But all of it is with a qualifier – I just don’t think the federal government has kept up its strategic stockpile, so I don’t think they have the resources and equipment to actually help us if they were so inclined.”
I just don’t think I believe the city’s PPE and ventilator stockpile is adequate.
1) Last week I started collecting data for the amount of tests IL was doing because I was increasingly alarmed by how slowly the number of total Illinoisans tested was increasing. I used the Wayback Machine to see older data than when I began taking screenshots of the daily data. https://t.co/gAiNgz4Xmn
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and continued guidance from both local and state health officials, we have made the decision that all Summer 2020 courses will be conducted remotely via alternative delivery mechanisms.
We know that this decision about summer courses may generate additional questions about summer research, programs, travel, housing, events, remote work protocols, etc. We are not ready to make those decisions at this time, but as soon as we are ready, you will be notified.
Christie Clinic is placing about 225 employees on a temporary furlough due to coronavirus-related losses, Chief Executive Officer Kenny Bilger said Thursday.
“It is our intention that these furloughs will be short term, with a current expectation of all team members returning to work no later than June 1, 2020,” he said in a letter to Christie employees that clinic officials shared with The News-Gazette.
The temporary furloughs will affect about 25 percent of Christie’s 900 staff members, according to Melissa Tepovich, the clinic’s marketing and public relations manager.
* Press release…
Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim is warning residents of potential scams that attempt to prey on people during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Nerheim said his office has been advised that scammers are making phone calls posing at health care workers or companies offering COVID-19 tests. In many cases, these scammers claim they are able to either obtain tests for people or are able to get test results to people quicker. In these cases, the person is asked to pay in cash or hand over personal identifying information in exchange for the test.
“In most cases, these crimes are preventable by using common sense,” State’s Attorney Nerheim said. “People should always be wary of any business, charity, government or individual requesting payments in cash, wire transfers, or gift cards through the mail. In addition, people should never share identifiable personal or financial information with any unknown sources.”
Senator Morrison (D-Lake Forest) will soon file a measure to further expand Illinois’ vote-by-mail program. Illinoisans would have the option to forego traditional polling places and cast their ballot from the comfort of their home. Under the proposal, each registered voter would be mailed a ballot, which would then be returned to the county elections office and counted on Election Day.
However, this does not preclude in-person voting opportunities on and/or before Election Day.
* The governor has already said he’s open to changing Illinois laws on vote-by-mail. Greg Hinz followed up with the four legislative leaders. The two Democrats seemed at least somewhat supportive. Senate President Don Harmon has long supported ideas like Morrison’s.
House Speaker Michael Madigan’s spokesman said he would “support emphasizing that method in November.” Madigan has so far resisted a statewide mail program unless some standards can be set. As we’ve discussed, different counties treat them differently. Some are more persnickety about signatures, some toss out ballots for minor clerical issues, etc. Also, Madigan does his own VBM program for Democrats.
“Ballot access in Illinois has and will continue to be strong. There is no need to change this November’s process,” House GOP Leader Jim Durkin said in a statement relayed by his spokeswoman, Eleni Demertzis. She added, “The Ds already have all the advantages they need. Just not sure what additional mail ballot provisions we can undertake as any voter can currently request a mail ballot for no reason.” […]
“There will be a time to discuss that in the future,” [Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady] said in a statement relayed by his spokesman Jason Gerwig. “Right now our focus should remain on rebuilding our economy and containing the COVID-19 virus.”
Another prominent Republican, DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin, said such a change could well help Democrats because elderly people, who tend to vote Republican, are more comfortable with the current system.
“But it may be necessary, he added. “I think we have to prepare for the possibility that people’s behavior is going to change.”
A physician who wants to offer drive-thru coronavirus testing for the public is searching for a new location after his plans to hold it Wednesday at a Champaign church were scuttled.
“We will be looking,” said Dr. Tom Pliura, a LeRoy-based doctor and lawyer who owns CampusTown Urgent Care in Champaign.
Pliura had planned to begin a daily drive-thru Wednesday morning at First Christian Church in Champaign, making thousands of COVID-19 tests available to the public — regardless of whether people have symptoms of the disease or not. […]
Pliura said he was irritated at what became of his plans, and he called the governor’s office for guidance about how to proceed.
I asked the governor’s office yesterday if Pliura had called and after checking for a few hours I was told nobody had talked to him.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testing for COVID-19 is based on priority, starting with hospitalized patients and healthcare facility workers with symptoms.
Then, patients in long-term care facilities with symptoms, patients 65 years and older with symptoms, patients with underlying conditions with symptoms and first responders.
The third priority is for critical infrastructure workers with symptoms, individuals who do not meet any of the above categories with symptoms, healthcare facility workers and first responders and individuals with mild symptoms in communities experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
The CDC lists people without symptoms as a non-priority.
Pliura said he believes the number of COVID-19 cases at the University of Illinois is being kept artificially low.
“I also believe that the U of I doesn’t want it known that there are 10,000 foreign nationals over here that left in December before the break, came to their homeland countries and now returned prior to the travel ban and they had exemptions anyway and they brought a little present back with them,” Pliura said. “I guarantee you that if there’s testing done at the U of I, broad-scale testing, you are going to see a hot spot.”
[Champaign-Urbana Public Health District administrator Julie Pryde] disputes that. She said the U of I took aggressive action to limit COVID 19’s spread, including isolating students who traveled overseas.
Truth #4…..Re: Lack of Test Kits…the Media is saying there are not enough ‘Test Kits’ available……that is a bunch of malarkey…it takes 30-seconds to make a kit…SHARE THIS VIDEO
This video is the Gospel Truth…the whole truth and nothing but the truth….so help me God…I challenge anybody in the media to disprove anything here
Um, he’s not showing a test in his video, he’s showing a swab to collect samples for tests that are placed in a test tube. The actual tests are done at a lab, where there are indeed shortages and severe backlogs.
We are performing case-by-case testing for Coronavirus at CampusTown Urgent care…631 E. Green St., Champaign, IL (217) 344-9909 Internet Pre-registration is required….go to: covidtest.center We hope to find a new location for broad scale public testing this morning
Someone asked in comments if he was “Testing for people with no symptoms to see if they are carriers?” Dr. Piura’s response…
well, now the IDPH has asked me not to test people who don’t have symptoms….so during the registration process….you will be asked if in the last 7-10 days, have you had: a runny nose, cold symptoms, a cough, a scratchy throat, head ache, sore throat, fever, or if no fever have you felt warm….if you have any of those symptoms…I can test you…if you check the box ‘No’…then you will need to make an appointment with Champaign Public Health Department and ask their permission before we can test you….but if you tell me you’ve had one of the above symptoms…then I can test you…obviously I don’t know what symptoms you have had….and it’s all on the honor system…so you either check the box stating “yes”, I’ve had the symptoms….or you’ll need to go down to the Public Health Department and bring me back a note from the administrator allowing me to test you….I don’t think there is any licensed doctors down there…but I told them that I would not knowingly test anybody if they told me they have no symptoms…so you’ll either have to check the box as having had symptoms….or you need a note from Public Health…it is kind of like having a note from the teacher allowing you to go to the bathroom down the hall
(3) Procedures: The Secretary, in managing the stockpile under paragraph (1), shall—
(A) consult with the working group under section 247d–6(a) of this title and the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise established under section 300hh–10a of this title;
(B) ensure that adequate procedures are followed with respect to such stockpile for inventory management and accounting, and for the physical security of the stockpile;
(C) in consultation with Federal, State, and local officials, take into consideration the timing and location of special events, and the availability, deployment, dispensing, and administration of countermeasures; […]
(E) devise plans for effective and timely supply-chain management of the stockpile, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies; State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies; and the public and private health care infrastructure, as applicable, taking into account the manufacturing capacity and other available sources of products and appropriate alternatives to supplies in the stockpile; […]
(J) provide assistance, including technical assistance, to maintain and improve State and local public health preparedness capabilities to distribute and dispense medical countermeasures and products from the stockpile, as appropriate.
Friday, Apr 3, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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The idea of secession has long simmered in Illinois’ more rural and Republican counties, periodically flaring up around issues such as raising the minimum wage, the establishment of sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants and gun ownership. And though Illinois’ secession movement — or, movements — isn’t exactly united, many who believe in the principle share a general sense of feeling underrepresented in a state dominated by Chicago’s Democratic stronghold.
The coronavirus outbreak, which has yet to touch some areas of the state, has become the most recent flashpoint, inspiring both serious promises to reintroduce secession on the ballot and Facebook memes that call for building a wall around Chicago.
* And ProPublica Illinois justifies this coverage with these stats…
That spider web, which he’s crafted to function as a sort of social media ecosystem of secession sentiment, includes “Illinois Separation,” a page Cliburn runs that has garnered nearly 27,000 Facebook likes; “Illinoyed,” a page for more general venting about the state, which has about 11,700 likes; and also dozens of county-level pages for local organizers. Lately, Cliburn said, he’s been using coronavirus news to bring attention to the effort to kick Chicago out of the state. […]
Another post, shared on the “Illinois Separation” page on March 25, shows an image of the state of Illinois with the Chicago-area blocked off with a line. “Make Illinois Great Again … build a wall !!” the graphic reads. Comments included individuals blaming Chicago for positive COVID-19 cases in their own counties and criticizing the shelter-in-place order in areas with few if any positive cases.
The post has nearly 800 likes and 400 shares.
Nearly 800 likes? Oh my. It’s a movement!
217 Problems has 103,583 followers. Where’s its big writeup?
But realistically, the House and the Senate, the state would have to pass it by a two-thirds margin and then it has to go to the federal, I mean, so it’s not gonna happen.
You find out sometimes when… you’re being a legislator that sometimes you can introduce a bill, then you get some attention.
* Also, the person profiled at the top of the ProPublica piece lives in Vermilion County, which is 13 percent African-American. These sorts of safaris almost always ignore those voices…
“Often the monolithic portrayal of rural America amounts to a whitewashing along racial lines,” [reporter Sarah Smarsh] said. “In fact, rural areas are much more racially diverse than one would think from reading national headlines. …Those parts of the country have always been much more than white people, and as we speak they are diversifying, in some places quite rapidly, often due to an influx in immigrant populations taking jobs in industries like industrial agriculture and meatpacking plants.
* Not to mention that these stories often usually wind up bringing ridicule on rural people in general…
Trump is not the president of just rural America. He won office because his message took root in coastal cities and suburbs, too. But national reporters found few occasions to explore the ascendant conservatism of these places. Consider Collier County, Florida, and McDowell County, West Virginia, two counties that voted heavily for Trump. Despite the fact that Collier County’s voter turnout was more than twice that of McDowell County, only the latter drew national attention. The wealthier, more suburban residents of Collier County did not inspire the derision of liberals—nor did they command the attention of conservatives, who were eager to pin Trump’s success to the reactionary yearnings of the mythologized heartland worker.
This selective interest in a particular type of Trump voter—and the synonymization of white conservatives with rural geographies—reinforced perceptions many onlookers already possessed. Location alters a place’s material needs and shapes the struggles of its inhabitants, but rurality does not make a community simple. To many consumers of the mainstream press, however, rural communities seem to be benighted places where the light of liberalism could not reach.
Friday, Apr 3, 2020 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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The credit union industry has adapted to the needs of its members and staff through numerous times of national crisis – and the current COVID-19 crisis is no different. Credit unions across Illinois are acting swiftly to accommodate the unique needs of their members while also putting preventative measures in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19. When the federal government made recommendations to limit crowds, credit unions like Community Plus Federal Credit Union quickly acted to cancel their annual meeting and shift it to a digital format. When recommendations were released to encourage social distancing, many credit unions like Alliant Credit Union, shifted to drive-up only service, while still offering unique solutions and individual appointments to serve the needs of their members.
The transition to life at home has proven to be a challenge for many Illinoisans, but credit unions have showed up in force to help alleviate financial worries during this trying time. Additionally, credit unions are communicating digitally with their members to ensure that members are up-to-date on the credit union response to COVID-19. Access Credit Union, among more than twenty others state-wide, have enacted immediate improvements to their email communication efforts to make important information immediately accessible to members. Multiple credit unions across the state continue to utilize social media to keep members informed and stay connected. The credit union industry will continue to honor the “People Helping People” philosophy as we navigate these unchartered waters together. Rest assured that even in these trying times, your credit union remains a trusted partner in ensuring your financial well-being. To ensure the security of your funds, all state and federally chartered credit unions maintain deposit insurance covering at least $250,000 per depositor, per account category – even in uncertain economic times. To learn more about the credit union difference, and to find a credit union near you, please visit asmarterchoice.org today.
The General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting said general funds revenues increased by $174 million in March.
“That performance will surprise many given the dire economic straights in which the country and state finds itself,” said COGFA Revenue Director Jim Muschinske in a monthly update. “It does, however, illustrate the inherent lag between economic activity, or lack thereof, and actual performance.”
But Muschinske said people should not be misled.
“The eventual impacts of COVID-19 are unavoidable and will quickly manifest in the coming weeks/months,” he said.
Similar delays occur after a change in tax rates or policy—usually at least a month from date of implementation. This “receipts in the pipeline” varies by revenue source, but the eventual impacts of COVID-19 are unavoidable and will quickly manifest in the coming weeks/months.
* This will help cushion the blow a tiny bit, but the news isn’t all good…
Despite the expected abrupt changes ahead, through March, gross personal income taxes are ahead of last year by $864 million, or $765 million net. Gross sales taxes are up $204 million, or $249 million net, while gross corporate income taxes are up $105 million, or $104 million net. The performance of the remaining revenue sources have been mixed, but have experienced a combined $112 million decline.
Overall transfers fell $64 million for the month. A $6 million gain from miscellaneous transfers was more than offset by a decline of $40 million in lottery transfers, and a $30 million drop from riverboat transfers. In fact, due to the Gaming Board’s action to temporarily close casino operations, no transfers were made this March.
In addition to underlying disruptions to the economy related to the virus, a few corresponding policy decisions will interrupt some well-established revenue patterns. With the State following the federal government’s lead related to pushing back the “tax day” filing period to July 15 , a great deal of variance will be injected into the timing of “final payments”. It is unclear at this time how the extension of the due date will change taxpayer filing behavior, but to the extent it does, it would act to suppress final FY 2020 income tax revenues in April, while moving corresponding receipts into early FY 2021. Further complicating the picture is that simultaneous to this aforementioned timing issue, tax revenues will likely begin to reflect job losses/income losses/and business profits related to the economic shut down.
The one revenue area that is expected to see some upward pressure from this economic upheaval is federal source revenues. An apparent retroactive increased federal matching rate, along with some lump sum federal assistance, will serve to mitigate revenue losses in economic areas. However, at this time, it is unclear exactly when, into what funds, and what attached federal “strings”, will mean for the state’s bottom line.
At this stage of the battle with COVID-19, the greatest State concern is with saving lives, and doing what is necessary to mitigate its impact. Once the tide turns, and economic engines can again be fired up, it is hoped that the previous trajectory can be re- established. Unfortunately, at this time, it’s unclear when that may be, to what extent permanent damage has been done, and what form a recovery from this pandemic will look lik
The federal Medicaid match has been increased from 50.14 percent to 56.34 percent.
RIP: singer-songwriter #BillWithers, heart complications, 81. Stuttered as a child, left the world speechless with his plainspoken, heartfelt hits. Won Grammys for "Lean On Me", "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Just The Two Of Us". https://t.co/pDwYERdcrL
* Not that you’d want to, but you couldn’t get away from this song when it was released. And it seems to me to be a perfect anthem for these trying times…
Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on
The governor also launched a new statewide effort called “All in Illinois” to reinforce staying home.
“I’ve taken virtually every action available to me to protect our residents and slow the spread, and now, our strongest weapon against COVID-19 is you,” Pritzker said. “For everyone in Illinois, we as individuals must commit to stay home, stay safe and practice social distancing to stay healthy. I’m asking you to join us and be all in for Illinois.”
All in Illinois is supported by a series of public service announcements featuring famous Illinois natives, including Jane Lynch, Deon Cole, Jason Beghe, Jackie Joyner Kersee, and Matt Walsh. The PSA videos reinforce the importance of staying at home during the COVID-19 crisis and encourages everyone to do their part to stop the spread of the virus.
People can also show their solidarity by updating their Facebook profile photos with the All in Illinois frame image and share messages with friends and family on social media using the #AllinIllinois hashtag.
I really didn’t expect it to amount to much, but the Twitter hashtag trended nationally for a while yesterday. It’s still going pretty strong today. The website is here. You can download window and yard signs here.
It’s actually kinda brilliant. Illinoisans are mostly a pessimistic lot about our state and have been for a very long time.
And as a commenter noted yesterday, it’s also a play on words. People are all-in for their state as they all stay in their homes to avoid spreading or contracting the virus.
Pritzker said he is “very, very proud” of those working and learning from home and essential personnel helping residents.
“I see you as tough as you are kind, as courageous as you are creative,” he said. “… All In is our anthem and our point of pride — Illinoisans staying home for the good of each other and for our state.”
* I scrolled down to the very first use of the hashtag yesterday and saw this…
We were tasked by the Governor’s office to inspire Illinoisans to stay in and stay safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Tune in at 2:30 today to Governor Pritzker’s press briefing as he unveils the state's new initiative #AllInIllinois. https://t.co/wnfuzppVkppic.twitter.com/irt0eIcibj
As we’ve been going through different country models of how to flatten the curve - we are being walked through what China, South Korea, Singapore etc. have done. Some of those things are possible in the US and some just aren’t. But it occurred to us that we have to think creatively about what an AMERICAN model for getting social distancing to work looks like. I came from campaigns and so did a lot of people here and on campaigns - you use social pressure to persuade people to vote and vote for your candidate. We thought - why can’t we apply that to this? If everyone on your block has a sign out front saying they are staying in, has a Facebook profile filter, uses the hashtag - we know those things influence people on campaigns - no reason they can’t do the same here. It also gives people something proactive to do to help the effort. Anyway, wanted you to know the thinking behind it. Not just an interesting social media idea and a way to promote state unity but another piece of a bigger strategy to keep people inside.
