Officials reported 986 known new COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths on Wednesday. That’s the highest number of daily deaths reported since the outbreak began. There now have been 6,980 known infections and 141 deaths statewide.
This comes a day after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s extending his stay-at-home order through April 30 as part of the state’s effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The extension, which Pritzker intends to sign today, will keep schools closed until the end of the month.
As the virus continues to spread, the Tribune is keeping a running list of Chicago-area closings and cancellations, asking experts to answer your questions about COVID-19, tracking cases across the state and memorializing those who have died in the Chicago area.
Here are the latest updates Wednesday on the new coronavirus in the Chicago area and Illinois:
9 p.m.: Morton Arboretum closing to public amid virus concerns
The Morton Arboretum is joining the list of outdoor spaces closing to the public to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
The 1,700-acre site in west suburban Lisle will close starting Thursday through April 30, according to the arboretum’s website. The closure “is to ensure social distancing in support of public health.”
Special events, educational programs and field trips are also canceled through April 30. Arboretum representatives will contact anyone registered for canceled programs or events to process refunds, the website says.
The west-suburban outdoor escape offering hiking paths, scenic drives and giant trolls was one of the last nature-themed attractions to remain open, as state parks, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Botanic Garden and the city’s lakefront shutdown in recent weeks. — Morgan Greene
7:30 p.m.: When will the coronavirus outbreak peak in Illinois?
Health experts say a wave of COVID-19 cases is likely in the coming weeks or months, but exactly when that wave will hit — and how big it will be — remains a matter of debate.
The Tribune has found at least two models that produced significantly different predictions on when the outbreak will peak: as soon as two weeks or as long as 1 ½ months from now.
Add to that the predictions of public officials, such as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who said Wednesday that the virus was expected to peak in Chicago in “mid- to late April.” The state has offered a similar, broad time frame.
Neither the city nor state has responded to Tribune requests for specific details on their predictions. University of Illinois researchers working with the state told the Tribune they were uncomfortable releasing their most recent projections for fear of misleading the public, given all the caveats and uncertainties.
Modelers say their work involves multiple guesses, ranging from just how infectious the virus is to how successfully people will keep their distance from one another.
COVID-19 projections are also complicated by the lack of large-scale testing, meaning researchers do not know how many people are infected. Many residents are not able to obtain a test without severe symptoms or meeting other strict criteria.
"Again, what’s really sort of unfortunate — to me one of the most unfortunate things about all of this — is there just hasn’t been enough testing,” said Yale School of Management professor Edward Kaplan, who’s worked on some national modeling and spoke to the Tribune last week.
Making it harder still, researchers have said, is how dangerous the virus is for certain groups of people, including the elderly and those with chronic conditions, and having to account for unique scenarios in each part of the country.
That said, researchers have tackled the challenge and released projections. Here are some.
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