Coronavirus: 'We Are Bending The Curve,' Pritzker Says

ILLINOIS — Amid the bad news — 1,222 new coronavirus cases and the loss of another 74 Illinois residents who have died of the illness — there are signs that the state's stay-at-home order is helping to flatten the curve and reduce transmission of the respiratory disease.

"We are, in fact, bending the curve," Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday, adding that a slowing in the rate at which coronavirus cases in Illinois are doubling shows a "clear deceleration of virus transmission."

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In late March, statewide coronavirus case totals were doubling every two days. By April 1, that number was every 3.6 days. As of Sunday, Pritzker said, case totals are doubling every 8.2 days.

"There is nothing good about twice as many people having coronavirus or, worse, dying from it," the governor acknowledged. "But we won’t get to zero (cases) overnight."

The data shows that the stay-at-home order, which took effect March 21, is doing its job to reduce transmission rates, Pritzker said, but that doesn't mean it's time to open things up.

The governor stressed, "Folks, this curve may not flatten, and it may go up again if we don’t adhere to the stay-at-home order," which is likely to be extended past April 30, as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot believes.

"We need to stay the course for now for our effects to truly remain effective," Pritzker said. "There is no one who wants our state to open up more than I do."

Hours after President Donald Trump referred to governors as "mutineers" for deciding for themselves whether to keep states closed and stay-at-home orders in place — and referred to himself the "captain" — Pritzker made it clear he won't be ready to lift the order anytime soon.

Trump: I'm 'Captain,' Governors Are 'Mutineers'

"I will do what I have to do to safeguard the health and safety of our Illinois residents," he said. "I'm hopeful the president will help us accomplish that." Pritzker added that there needs to be "a new normal — a way of life to carry us to the other side. While that day is not here yet, my experts and I are working to bring this about."

But asked once again whether Illinois should have postponed the March 17 primary election and what the impact of coronavirus could be on the November general election, Pritzker's response was grim.

"We may not be back to normal by November because a vaccine might not be available," he said. While multiple companies have vaccines in the works, most experts believe a realistic timeline for a vaccine to become available is a year to 18 months from now.

'People are getting better'

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi Ezike also expressed optimism, saying the state has new data on the timeline for coronavirus recovery for most patients.

While not all patients have responded, an electronic survey of those who have battled coronavirus shows that within weeks, many patients are symptom-free.

Those who responded said they felt better or were symptom-free within these time frames after becoming ill:

• 7 days - 44 percent said they felt better
• 14 days - 50 percent said they felt better
• 21 days -60 percent said they felt better
• 28 days - 69 percent said they felt better

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

Illinois is reporting a total of 23,247 coronavirus cases, including 868 deaths. Patients range in age from younger than 1 to older than 100.

Hospital capacity update

Pritzker also provided an update on the total number of regular hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators available in Illinois.