The Illinois Department of Public Health announced the first death in Illinois in relation to COVID-19, a Chicago resident in her 60s, along with 55 more confirmed cases on Tuesday, adding the total count to 160 in 15 counties.
“I am deeply saddened by the news that we’ve dreaded since the earliest days of this outbreak: the first COVID-19 related death in Illinois,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “All of Illinois stands with this patient’s family and loved ones in mourning her loss and honoring her memory. May her memory be a blessing.”
After the one resident tested positive in a long-term care facility in DuPage County on Saturday, the facility has identified 22 positive COVID-19 cases today, 18 residents and four staff members.
“Residents in nursing homes are our most vulnerable population and we are doing everything we can to protect them,” director of IDPH Dr. Ngozi Ezike said. “We may see cases in other long-term care facilities, which is why it is so important that we all do our part to reduce possible exposure in the community to those who go in and out of these facilities as they provide care to residents.”
As of Tuesday, the youngest confirmed COVID-19 case in Illinois is a 9-year-old, and the oldest case in Illinois is 91 years old.
Near Bradley University, in the tri-county area, there are a total four positive COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday afternoon – three in Peoria County and one in Woodford County.