COVID-19: Cicero Has Most Cases in Entire Suburban Cook Co. Chicago Heights Tops 300.

Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Cicero has the largest number of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cases in all of suburban Cook County with 1,485 and a rate of 1,770.20 per 100,000, surpassing Park Forest’s rate which now sits at 1,754.63. Chicago Heights now has 320 confirmed cases and a rate per 100,000 of 1,056.94.

The Village of Park Forest has 376 total confirmed cases with 196 of those located at Ludeman Center as of May 7, 2020.

All of this is according to data provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Cook County Department of Public Health, and Parents & Friends of Ludeman Center.

University Park now has the third-highest rate per 100,000 with 100 cases and a rate of 1437.19.

eNews Park Forest continues to track the number of cases and the rate per 100,000* cases for 30 municipalities in the South Suburbs.

The Will County Health Department reports 31 cases of COVID-19 in the Will County section of Park Forest as of May 7, 2020.

As of this writing on May 7, Chicago Heights has 320 cases, Steger has 55, Flossmoor 61, Richton Park 144, Olympia Fields 42, Sauk Village 76, Glenwood 88, Tinley Park 190, and South Chicago Heights has 59.

Harvey has 258 cases, Country Club Hills has 224 cases, Orland Park 255, Lynwood 91, Lansing 232, Homewood 200, South Holland 265, Calumet City 362, Markham 145, and Crete 70. Ford Heights now has 21 cases.

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 70,873 cases, including 3,111 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have processed 17,783 specimens for a total of 379,043.

Deceased from COVID-19

The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in the Cook County section of Park Forest remains at 10 since we last tallied comprehensively on May 2. The number of deceased from Chicago Heights is now 18, up from 13 when we tallied May 2. Cicero lost 30, Richton Park 8, Matteson 15, and Country Club Hills 16. The number of deaths in Steger (Cook County) is unchanged since April 28 at 3.

The City of Chicago has lost 1,279 people to COVID-19.

Ludeman Center Update

Parents & Friends of the Ludeman Center provided an update as of May 7, 2020:

“Ludeman has tested all residents at the Ludeman Center for COVID-19. The testing is based on recommendations from the infectious disease physician who is consulting with the Divisions of Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health. This will enable Ludeman to continue the best possible precautionary, clinical and medical programming and supports for the people they serve.  Ludeman will notify families of the testing process and results.

The group received the following information from the Ludeman Center for the May 7 COVID-19 testing results:

• Ludeman Residents:  196 tested positive. 146 tested negative. 2 pending results.
• Ludeman Staff: 70 tested positive. 
• 35 of 38 occupied Ludeman Homes have individuals that have been tested for COVID-19.

Wellness checks are being conducted on staff members before reporting to their respective assignments, the group says.

Ludeman Center is in great need of the following supplies, the group notes:

• Disposable Stethoscopes
• Disposable Surgical Gowns
• Surgical KN95 Masks
• Oral or Temporal Thermometers
• Wall Mounted Hand Sanitizers – Holder and Sanitizer Supply
• Sanitizer Wipes, Disinfectant Spray

“If you are able to fulfill any of the above supplies to Ludeman, e-mail us at [email protected] and we will be happy to pick up or give you instructions to ship your donation,” Parents & Friends of the Ludeman Center says.

Projections

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) says the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in Illinois on April 17, but testing continues. Hence, the number of cases in the South Suburbs continues to rise. The IHME also says the peak death rate from the worst pandemic in anyone’s memory has also passed in Illinois.

IHME projections assume strict social distancing continues until infections are minimized and containment implemented.

Mask Requirement in Illinois Now in Effect

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order will continue in Illinois through the month of May. Additionally, he is requiring a “face-covering or mask” for all over the age of two under certain circumstances.

The Governor said:

Starting on May 1, any individual over the age of two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering or mask will be required to wear one when in a public place where they can’t maintain a six-foot social distance. Face coverings work and we need all Illinoisans to do their part here.

For our essential businesses, including manufacturers, we are issuing new requirements on social distancing and new caps on occupancy.

Again all of these things won’t take effect until May 1 – a week from tomorrow. And they are only minor modifications – what we can do safely – while keeping our stay at home restrictions in place as we manage through to the next phase.

This order was further modified to allow religious gatherings of up to 10 people.

Current COVID-19 Cases for 30 South Suburban Towns

The following chart will auto-update as we update our Google spreadsheet:

This chart might not appear on all mobile devices. It does not appear, for example, in the browser built into the Apple Facebook app.

As of May 7, 2020, there are a total of 18,457 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in suburban Cook County and 756 deaths; 135 cases are in congregate settings, such as long term care facilities or nursing homes, are reporting one or more confirmed cases. The data from Cook County includes all cases under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Department of Public Health (excludes Chicago, Evanston, Oak Park, Skokie, and Stickney Township). All numbers are provisional and subject to change.

The Cook County Medical Examiner reports 2,232 total COVID-19 related deaths since March 16, 2020, as of May 7, 2020.

As of this writing, Will County now reports 3,466 confirmed cases and 195 deaths.

Overall for the State of Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) on May 7 announced 2,641 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 138 additional deaths.

• Clinton County: 1 male 70s
• Cook County: 1 female 30s, 1 male 30s, 2 males 40s, 2 females 50s, 5 males 50s, 1 unknown 50s, 6 females 60s, 12 males 60s, 1 unknown 60s, 9 females 70s, 19 males 70s, 10 females 80s, 14 males 80s, 17 females 90s, 6 males 90s, 1 female 100+
• DuPage County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s, 2 males 70s, 4 females 90s
• Jackson County: 1 male 60s
• Kane County: 2 females 80s, 1 female 90s
• Kankakee County: 1 female 80s
• Lake County: 2 males 60s, 1 female 80s
• Macon County: 1 female 70s
• McHenry County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
• Peoria County: 1 female 90s
• Rock Island County: 1 male 70s
• Sangamon County: 1 female 80s
• St. Clair County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 90s
• Will County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 female 90s, 1 male 90s
• Winnebago County: 1 female 80s

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 70,873 cases, including 3,111 deaths, in 97 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have processed 17,783 specimens for a total of 379,043.

*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered.  Information for deaths previously reported have changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted.  For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email [email protected].

*Why Rate Per 100,000?

We found a clear explanation for viewing the rate of infections per 100,000 comes from Indiana University at Bloomington: “There may or may not be 100,000 residents in the county under review, but multiplying the result by 100,000 makes that rate comparable with counties with more than 100,000 or less than 100,000.”

“It is customary to use rates per 100,000 population for deaths and rates per 1,000 population for live births,” our source at Indiana University says.

So, none of the cities, towns, and villages we survey have 100,000 residents, but by using the rate per 100,000, we are able to compare apples to apples, so to speak, as if every town did have 100,000 residents.

eNews Park Forest will continue to track the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has on our region.

Errata: Our count for the number of total cases in Crete in our May 2 report was not accurate. We regret the error.