Since there isn’t a whole heck of lot to report today, let’s get right to the numbers!
Date T Cases % Increase N Cases N Tests Prevalence Deaths
3/18 288
3/19 422 46.5 134 1 in 14
3/20 585 37 163 1 in 12
3/21 753 29 296 1 in 7
3/22 1,049 39 896 1 in 2
3/23 1,285 28 236 1 in 8
3/24 1,535 22.5 250 1 in 8
3/25 1,855 21.5 320 1 in 6
3/26 2,538 37 683 1 in 6
3/27 3,026 19 488 1 in 8
3/28 3,491 15.4 465 1 in 8
3/29 4,596 31.6 1,105 1 in 4 65
3/30 5,056 10 460 2,684 1 in 6 72
3/31 5,994 18.5 938 4,779 1 in 5 90
4/1 6,980 16.5 986 5,159 1 in 5 141
4/2 7,695 10.2 715 3,272 1 in 4.6 157
4/3 8,904 15.7 1,209 4,392 1 in 3.6 210
4/4 10,357 16 1,456 5,533 1 in 4 243
53,581 Illinoisan have been tested, and after moving up a few ticks yesterday, the mortality rate held steady at 2.3 percent. We also fell to number nine in the coronavirus state rankings which is another sign our specific social distancing efforts are making a difference.
Much like yesterday, considering Illinois processed a record 5,533 tests, our 16 percent daily case increase is very good news. Yes! The number of new coronavirus cases is setting records, but for the last two days, the percent increase of newly tested individuals was far greater than the 24-hour percent case increase.
Before your (and my) head explodes, here’s what I mean:
Date % Case Increase % Testing Increase
4/3 15.7 34
4/4 16 26
While more testing inevitably leads to more cases, we’re not seeing a direct one-to-one correlation between new testing and new cases as some readers thought we would. Put more simply, it’s taking more testing to find fewer new cases.
The fact that our prevalence ratio backed off a bit to 1 in 4 is further evidence of this non-correlative contention.
Given a frontline nurses comment on yesterday’s report, let’s get back to that all-important mental health aspect of a shelter-in-place pandemic, because what she said might be more troubling than the disease itself:
I work in healthcare, and we are starting to see a surge of patients, not from COVID, but from anxiety and other mental health issues – lots of panic attacks (which can mimic COVID symptoms), suicidal ideations, increased agitation, and people who have been sober for years that have suddenly started drinking again. The doom and gloom of the media is definitely taking its toll on a lot of people’s mental health, and that is having a negative impact on our healthcare system and our ability to devote our full resources to fighting COVID 19.
So, I went to www.helpguide.org, a non-profit mental health and wellness website for their insights on how to handle the anxiety and isolation:
- Stay informed, but don’t obsessively check the news.
- Focus on the things you can control, not what you can’t.
- Plan for what you can.
- Stay connected by phone, email, or social media.
- Be kind to yourself.
- Create and stick to a routine.
- Head outside and get some exercise.
- Avoid self-medicating with drugs or alcohol.
- The best way to overcome fear is to help someone else.
- Don’t be afraid to get professional help if necessary.
I would also suggest we focus on the positive and not the negative because, not only have none of the doom and gloom scenarios come to pass, but our trend clearly indicates that the Illinois coronavirus curve is continuing to level off.
That said, particularly as we head toward that April 15 pandemic peak, now is exactly the time to keep up the good work!
That list should include not watching the news. Eliminating this has decreased my anxiety tremendously. Thanks for the positive information.
Jan,
I refuse to watch it right now!
Jeff
Can we fight back? The city’s have trucks that spray the streets before it snows.
They can be converted to spray a safe disinfectant, sanitized the city’s
They also have vacuum trucks, filter the air through UV filters.
Install UV light system in doorways of hospitals, police, fire , store entrances, mass transportation, ect. Retrofit metal detectors to incorporate UV lights
For now and the future