Illinois coronavirus cases climb to 12K, death toll at 307; Gov. Pritzker says more PPE, ventilators needed
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois now has more than 12,000 COVID-19 cases and state leaders including Governor JB Pritzker say more federal resources are needed before the virus peaks.
WATCH: Gov. JB Pritzker's opening remarks at daily COVID-19 briefing
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,006 new COVID-19 cases and 33 additional deaths on Monday. A total of 307 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Illinois.
Coronavirus Illinois Update: Latest news on COVID-19 cases, Chicago area impact
Following a weekend in which the governor traded barbs with the president, Gov. Pritzker answered the White House's criticism by saying, essentially, to do the math.
"To anyone who wants a response to some of the blame shifting coming out of the White House, all I have to say is, look at the numbers," Pritzker said.
Gov. Pritzker said the amount of PPE coming from Washington pales in comparison to what the state has obtained on its own. In the case of N95 masks, surgical gowns, gloves and other equipment, the state has procured 15 to 18 times the quantities delivered by Washington. And while the White House said 450 ventilators have been sent to Illinois and the city of Chicago, the state says it needs nearly ten times that number.
"We haven't trusted what we were told by the White House," Pritzker said. "It's our own state procurement initiative that is making the difference."
But President Trump appears to be seeing things differently.
"Some of the states are very happy," Trump said. "Even Governor Pritzker from Illinois is happy. Of course, he may not be happy when he talks to the press, but he's happy. He's a very happy man."
Officials say the 10-day burn rate - or rate of usage - of much of this personal protective equipment is in the millions of units, and if Illinois had relied solely upon the federal government, those quantities coming from Washington would last only a handful of days. And the need for more PPE is only going to increase if some of those alternate care facilities, including McCormick Place, are needed and end up being used to capacity.
SEE INSIDE: Chicago's makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients at McCormick Place
Already, hospitals have instituted less-than-ideal measures to conserve PPE.
"Because of this shortage, healthcare facilities are beginning to implement optimization and contingency strategies to help stretch our supplies," said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Dept. Of Public Health. "These include healthcare personnel using face masks beyond contact with a single patient. Of course, if there's any obvious soiling of equipment, that needs to be changed immediately."
Coronavirus testing: Where to get tested for COVID-19 in Illinois, Chicago area
It's all the more reason for people to comply with the stay-at-home order, even as temperatures rise.
"Please stay home. I assure you if people congregate tomorrow, we will set the state back in our fight against COVID-19," Dr. Ezike said.
The governor was asked a couple of times if he might impose even stricter measures - including perhaps a curfew - or rules restricting the number of people from a household who can enter a grocery store, for instance.
Pritzker said all of those measures are on the table, but he's hoping people will simply stay home.
Coronavirus deaths in Illinois by county; COVID-19 victims of all ages
Gov. Pritzker has called for licensed health care providers available to fight against COVID-19 to register online at illinoishelps.net.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has created a hotline at 1-800-889-3931. More information can be found at the IDPH website and the Chicago Department of Public Health websiteid
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
