Governor, Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Discuss Coronavirus Precautions

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Published on February 28 2020 11:58 am
Last Updated on February 28 2020 1:45 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today joined City and State public health officials to announce a robust and coordinated effort to prevent the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

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Earlier this month, Illinois became the first state to provide COVID-19 testing in-state, allowing IDPH to produce results within 24 hours. Next week, the administration will expand testing statewide, with new testing labs in the central and southern regions to join the existing testing lab in Cook County.

Following the recommendation of the CDC, the state will also partner with hospitals in every region to engage in voluntary testing, which will allow Illinois to diagnose new cases quickly and prevent any further community spread. Under the plan, certain emergency departments will soon begin testing select patients who present with influenza-like symptoms for COVID-19.

To date, Illinois has had two confirmed cases of COVID-19 and both individuals have made a full recovery. The immediate health risk to the state remains low. While the latest available information suggests that person-to-person spread will continue to occur and additional cases are likely to be identified in the United States, most cases of COVID-19 cause a mild illness. In very rare cases people infected with the virus have died.

Additionally, to date, data shows that children are less likely to become ill.