Perry County holds at one COVID-19 case; regional numbers grow overall

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday state efforts to mitigate the novel coronavirus' impact on Illinoisans, and residents' efforts to protect their communities, are working.

The number of new confirmed cases and COVID-19-related deaths continues to rise, but the governor said "our curve is bending the right way."

The Department of Public Health reported 1,151 new coronavirus cases, and 59 additional deaths, in 11 counties, over the past 24 hours. Illinois' totals are now 31,508 cases and 1,349 deaths in 95 counties.

Locally, Perry County remains at one case of COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon. Randolph County leads rural southern Illinois with 58 cases and one death; Jackson County has 44 cases and five deaths and Jefferson County has 32 cases.

Williamson County has reported 15 cases; Pulaski County has nine cases; Washington County has seven; Franklin and Union have five cases each; Saline and Massac counties have three apiece; Gallatin, Johnson and Alexander have two each; Perry, White and Hamilton have one reported case and Pope and Hardin have 0.

Nearer to St. Louis, St. Clair County is reporting 276 cases and 18 deaths, while Monroe County has 54 cases and seven deaths.

Pritzker said the number of patients who have or who are suspected of having the virus, and who are in an intensive care unit, are both increasing at a slower rate than originally projected, had the governor's stay-at-home order and others not been implemented.

"With the current mitigation strategies in place, we may not have reached our peak yet, but your actions are helping to keep that peak as low as possible," he said.

As of Sunday, 4,599 Illinoisans were hospitalized with COVID-19-related symptoms.

New data shared by Pritzker indicates that of those patients, 1,239 are in an intensive care unit occupying 40 percent of the state's 3,100 ICU beds.

The number of patients needing ventilators is declining as well. On Monday, only 23% of the 3,200 ventilators in the state were being used by COVID-19 patients.

According to data shared by the comptroller's office, the state spent $172.62 million on coronavirus-related goods as of April 17.