1st Coronavirus Death In Illinois; 22 Cases At Nursing Home

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois is reporting is first coronavirus-related death, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday afternoon. A Chicago woman in her 60s who had underlying health conditions has died of the illness. She was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier this month after having close contact with another person who had it, state officials said.

The coronavirus patient who died is not connected to nursing home.

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"I want to extend my deepest condolences to her family members," Pritzker said. "I want them to know that the entire state of Illinois mourns with them. May her memory be a blessing."

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, also expressed condolences to the family.

"This is someone’s loved one, someone’s child, someone’s parent, a vital part of a community, and COVID-19 has ended that life," Ezike said.

Meanwhile, Pritzker also said 22 people at a nursing home in Willowbrook have also been diagnosed with coronavirus after everyone at the facility was tested. That includes 18 residents and four employees.

DuPage County officials on Sunday declared a state of disaster after a patient at Chateau Nursing Center was diagnosed with the illness. All residents and staff were tested after the first resident tested positive.

Ezike said the cases at the facility highlight the importance of social distancing to prevent coronavirus. "These residents are in their home. It is being brought in to them," she said.

She said the residents who tested positive are in isolation either at a local hospital or a separate wing of the nursing home. The employees are isolated at home.

All residents are being monitored every few hours for fever and oxygen saturation, and non-essential healthcare personnel are not permitted to enter the facility.