Illinois COVID-19 Update

April 29, 2020

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced 2,253 new COVID-19 cases and 92 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is 50,355 in 96 counties, with a total of 2,215 deaths. IDPH says that in the past 24 hours, 14,478 specimens have been processed. IDPH Director Ngozi Ezike, M.D., said that in the past 24 hours, COVID-19 hospitalizations increased from 4,738 to 5,036. Of that figure, 1,290 patients are in ICU with 777 patients on ventilators.

At his daily press briefing, Governor J.B. Pritzker described his administration’s efforts to address COVID-19 in long-term care facilities. He stated that they are working to make sure all long-term care facilities have free testing for all residents and staff. Quest Diagnostics is charged with running 3,000 tests per day for Illinois long-term care facilities, with results turned around in 48 hours. In addition, the Governor said 10 team comprised of 50 nurses each will be deployed to long-term care facilities throughout the state. In the next few days, IDPH will deploy 200 nurses statewide to assist long-term care facilities with COVID-19 swab testing, training facility staff to conduct testing and reviewing hygiene practices and use of personal protective equipment.

On Friday, April 24, the EMResource vendor Juvare started submitting the required U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) data on behalf of all Illinois hospitals. The new elements meet the COVID-19-related information requirements. Completion of this event each day satisfies the federal National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) reporting requirements for hospitals. Hospitals are reminded to have both their CCN # and NHSN Org ID # entered into EMResource to ensure their data will be transmitted to the government appropriately.

The Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC), in partnership with IDPH, will hold its weekly COVID-19 Strategies for OB/Neonatal Units Discussion Webinar on Friday, May 1 from 12-1 p.m. A panel of OB and neonatal providers from Illinois hospitals will share cases and discuss lessons learned caring for pregnant women with COVID-19 and infants exposed to COVID-19 and answer questions on responding to this evolving crisis. Registration is required.

The ILPQC has launched a COVID-19 OB / Neonatal resources webpage that will be updated regularly with time-stamped national guidelines.