Wednesday live coronavirus updates: How much has Illinois spent on pandemic supplies?

Apr. 15--Here is a roundup of coronavirus news you need to know on Wednesday:

St. Clair County reports new coronavirus death

A woman in her 80s with underlying conditions has become the 11th person in St. Clair County to die from complications from COVID-19.

The St. Clair County Health Department announced the woman's death on Tuesday in a live stream with the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

The county reported eight new cases Tuesday.

Two more deaths reported from Columbia assisted living facility outbreak

Two people who tested positive for COVID-19 last week after an outbreak of the virus at a Columbia assisted living facility for seniors have died of complications from the virus, bringing the total number of deaths related to the cluster to four, the Monroe County Health Department reported Tuesday.

On Monday, Administrator John Wagner reported that two people associated with an outbreak of COVID-19 at Garden Place assisted living facility had died. They were both residents at the facility, according to Amira Fahoum, a spokeswoman for Compass Senior Living, which owns Garden Place.

On April 10, Wagner reported that 24 people who lived or worked at the facility had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, creating a cluster.

Illinois spends millions on pandemic supplies

The state has spent more than $168 million on supplies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new website established by the Illinois comptroller's office.

The public can use the website illinoiscomptroller.gov/covid19-information to view each of state's purchases, including how much it paid and to whom. The largest single purchase to date was on April 9: $13 million for 200 ventilators.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said in a news release that the website will be updated daily.

"I hope our online portal showing Illinois' investment in fighting this deadly virus will help drive home the message that none of this should be taken lightly and that people need to stay home and stay safe," Mendoza said.

Patients respond to state survey on recovery

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said Tuesday that the state has received more responses to a survey asking COVID-19 patients if they had recovered from the disease.

These are the latest results:

-- 44% said they were recovered seven days after their diagnosis.

-- 50% said they were recovered 14 days after their diagnosis.

-- 61% said they were recovered at 21 days after their diagnosis.

-- 69% said they were recovered at 28 days after their diagnosis.

Ezike said 23 state employees were making 300 calls a day to people who didn't respond to the survey, and about half of those calls resulted in an interview about how they were feeling.

"People are getting better," Ezike said. "People recover from this disease."

College students getting emergency financial aid

The U.S. Department of Education gave $218 million to Illinois colleges and universities for their students, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced Tuesday.

Schools can use the funding to provide cash grants to college students "for expenses related to disruptions to their education due to the COVID-19 outbreak," Durbin and Duckworth stated in a news release. Those expenses could include course materials, technology, food, housing, health care and childcare, according to the release.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is getting at least $4.8 million for its students. For Southwestern Illinois College students, it's $2.3 million. Lewis and Clark Community College's allocation for students is $1 million. And McKendree University is getting $818,151 for students.

Centralia pool won't open for summer

WJBD radio on Tuesday reported that the outdoor Fairview Park Pool in Centralia won't open for the summer this year.

"I think there is so much uncertainty we can hold off this year," Acting City Manager Bill Agee told the City Council on Monday night, according to the radio station.

A representative from the Centralia Recreation Complex, which operates the outdoor pool, could not immediately be reached for comment. The complex is closed due to social distancing guidelines until at least April 30.

Southwestern Illinois coronavirus cases by county

Here's a breakdown of the coronavirus cases in southwestern Illinois as of Tuesday afternoon:

-- St. Clair: 201 positives, 11 deaths, 954 tests administered, 75 tests pending

-- Madison: 128 positives, two deaths, 45 recovered

-- Monroe: 47 positives, five deaths

-- Randolph: 44 positives, 29 recovered

-- Clinton: 39 positives, 180 tests administered, eight recovered

-- Macoupin: 16 positives, 159 tests administered, nine recovered, two pending

-- Jersey: Eight positive cases, five recovered

-- Bond: Four positives, two recovered, five pending

-- Washington: Two positive cases, 22 tests administered, two recovered

-- Calhoun: One positive

-- Perry: One positive

Local, state, nation, world cases totals

As of Tuesday, the latest statistics available showed:

-- Southwestern Illinois: 491 cases, 18 deaths

-- Illinois: 23,247 cases, 868 deaths

-- U.S.: 572,689 cases, 23,134 deaths

-- World: 1,978,769 cases, 125,196 deaths

Postponed and canceled events

The News-Democrat has compiled a list of events in Illinois and St. Louis that have been canceled due to concerns about coronavirus.

You can find the list at BND.com.

Want to help? Here's what you need to know

The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the coronavirus pandemic.

Go to BND. com to learn about the opportunities to volunteer your time or donate to help communities in the metro-east without putting yourself or others at risk.

You can sew face masks, read stories for people with vision loss and deliver meals to seniors.

If you know of a recognized charitable organization looking for help that isn't listed, please tell us about it; send an email to [email protected] or fill out the BND's Southwest Illinois coronavirus service and assistance guide online at BND.com.

Get the latest news on coronavirus

BND.com will keep you updated through the day with information about the spread of coronavirus through southwestern Illinois.

You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:

-- State of Illinois' coronavirus page: coronavirus.illinois.gov

-- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html

-- Federal government's coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

How to contact the BND with tips, concerns

If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the coronavirus pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at [email protected] and include a link. We'll check it out.

If you're a health care worker, we'd like to hear from you

The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor's offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We're interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at [email protected].

Recovering from COVID-19? The BND would like to talk to you

Have you recovered from coronavirus or are you in the process of recovering from COVID-19? We would like to hear from you on how you dealt with the respiratory disease. Send us an email at [email protected].

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