SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State officials say too many many in Illinois still believe COVID-19 is a hoax.
Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, said during Wednesday’s daily COVID-19 update that the virus isn’t a hoax, conspiracy or just a cold. It’s putting hundreds in the ICU and on ventilators.
“This ‘not real’ virus is overwhelming our hospitals. Right now, it’s taking up one out of every four beds that are occupied in our hospitals across our state,” Ezike said.
Ezike said while it’s estimated that between 12,000 and 61,000 people in the U.S. die annually from the flu, the coronavirus has already taken the lives of roughly 250,000 Americans.
Gov. J-B Pritzker said health care works, lauded for their hard work this past spring, are now being berated by COVID patients, some struggling to breathe, who still believe the virus is a hoax.
“It’s beyond tragic for all involved,” Pritzker said.
COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death in Illinois.
“11,014 people in Illinois have lost their battle with the virus, and the daily average of deaths is climbing,” Pritzker said.
Illinois residents who most recently passed away range in age from 30s to over 100. More than 1,000 Illinoisans have died in just the last two weeks from COVID-19.
Pritzker said, “On average, 83 people in Illinois are losing their lives to the virus each day.”
