March 10 briefing: Eight additional coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Illinois, bringing the state’s total to 19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.
Eight additional coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Illinois, bringing the state's total to 19, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.
Two of the eight cases are outside of Cook County, including one with ties to Lake and McHenry Counties and one in Kane County, health officials said.
The cases include a teenage resident of McHenry County and a woman in her 60s from Kane County.
Kane County health officials had earlier confirmed what is said to be its first case of coronavirus.
The two cases outside of Cook County may be cases of community spread, health officials said, warning that "we're likely to see additional cases each day forward."
"Neither have a travel history to affected countries or close contact with a known COVID-19 case based on our preliminary investigations, but the investigations are still ongoing," said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The other six cases in Cook County include:
- A man in his 70s
- A woman in her 60s
- A woman in her 40s
- A man in his 40s
Two other cases were reported in Chicago and involved two men in their 40s.
Two of the newest cases are patients at Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights, which had earlier treated a husband and wife who became the state's third and fourth confirmed coronavirus cases.
"Both patients are not related to previously identified COVID-19 patients who received care at NCH," the hospital said in a statement. "The new cases both appear to be travel-related contractions of the virus and are completely independent of one another."
The cases were all said to be in stable condition and in isolation.
Further information on the newest cases, including how they may have developed the virus, was not released.
Officials focused on urging older adults in the area to limit their movements in the community and avoid large gatherings.
"The State of Illinois continues to take action to reduce spread of COVID-19 in Illinois and we again want to encourage people to start thinking and preparing now in the event they are not able to go to work, if schools are closed, if public transportation is not available, and how else their lives will be disrupted by this outbreak," Ezike said.
Pritzker, who on Monday declared a disaster proclamation in the state, said he has demanded the state receiving more testing kits as soon as possible.
