Illinois state officials announced Sunday an infant was among 296 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state’s total to 1,049 cases and nine dead.
The three new deaths since Saturday include a Cook County man in his 80s, a Chicago man in his 80s and a McLean County woman in her 70s.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said the 1,049 COVID-19 cases span across 30 counties in Illinois. Cases have occurred in ages younger than 1 to 99.
The majority of cases are in Cook County, followed by DuPage and Lake counties. Over 8,300 people have been tested so far in Illinois.
Health officials are still learning about COVID-19. It is unknown if a pregnant woman with coronavirus can pass the virus to her fetus during pregnancy or delivery, state health officials said on Sunday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the virus. In these cases, which are a small number, the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.
“During this unprecedented public health emergency, stocks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health care providers are being used rapidly,” state health officials said on Saturday.
The IDPH released new guidance to limit all elective surgeries, non-essential medical, surgical, and dental procedures.
The IDPH is encouraging surgery centers, veterinarians, and anyone with unused Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is not immediately needed to donate it to assist health care facilities who are on the front line responding to COVID-19.
On Friday, Pritzker issued a ‘stay at home’ that began 5 p.m. Saturday and is expected to go through April 7 to combat the spread of the virus.
“To avoid the loss of potentially tens of thousands of lives, we must enact an immediate stay at home order for the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said, adding that non-essential businesses must stop operating.
Residents are still be able to go grocery shopping, put gas in their cars, go to pharmacies and have access to other essential services. Residents can also continue to do things like go on walks or runs. All roads remain open to traffic.
For PPE donations, email PPE.donations@illinois.gov. Residents with general questions about COVID-19 can call the state’s hotline at 800-889-3931.