Illinois hit with record-high 176 coronavirus deaths

The state has now confirmed 65,962 cases of the virus, while 13,139 test results received Monday raised the number of tests administered to more than 346,000 statewide.

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Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at an April 20 news briefing.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at an April 20 news briefing.

Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Health officials on Tuesday reported another 176 deaths in the state due to COVID-19, the highest daily count the state has seen yet — and one that surpassed grisly projections from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office as Illinois weathers what officials have said is the peak of the pandemic. 

It marked the tenth day Illinois has recorded at least 100 deaths from the coronavirus, and raised the state’s death toll to 2,838. Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike called that total “an unprecedented amount of lives lost compared to any time within our Illinois history” over a two-month timeframe. 

Tuesday’s figure was also well above the daily range outlined by Pritzker last month, which suggested Illinois would remain in a peak through early May with 50 to 150 deaths per day. 

And following two days of relatively lower fatality reports — 63 on Sunday and 46 Monday — the latest record high underscored the futility of reading too much into the daily ups and downs.

Pritzker’s office said they’re “very concerned that certain metrics continue to rise, but we monitor for trends over time instead of focusing only on one-day returns. 

“What’s more important is that we remember these numbers reflect the lives of Illinoisans who we’ve lost in this battle against COVID-19 and we are thinking of their loved ones during this difficult time,” the governor’s office said in a statement. 

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Pritzker’s office also warned the latest toll of 176 might include some fatalities from the weekend. Both death and case totals have tended to be lower on Mondays, due to slower reporting from some counties. 

The state previously saw a record-high 144 deaths on April 28. 

Besides the deaths, officials said another 2,122 people have tested positive, bringing the state’s case total to 65,962 across 97 of the state’s 102 counties. The state received 13,139 test results on Monday, and more than 346,000 tests have been performed overall.

Hospitalization numbers increased from Sunday to Monday, according to Pritzker’s office. There were 34 more COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, 17 more placed on ventilators and 287 more in hospital beds. 

With Pritzker laying out his plan for a phased reopening different regions of the state, Ezike reiterated that “we’re still in a significant war with an enemy.

“If this was a traditional war where there were soldiers outside of our doors in the streets, people wouldn’t be risking their lives to be outside of their homes. No one would think about the need to go to work, no one would think about getting their dog groomed, no one would think about getting their car washed,” Ezike said. 

“But this enemy is so different, it’s invisible. And maybe as a result of that we have underestimated the power and the destruction of this enemy… This is the reality of the situation before us, and we have to continue to do the right thing.”

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