Health Department Coronavirus Update 0417

Lake County, Ill. — The Lake County Health Department is reporting 156 additional cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and one new death in Lake County. This brings the total number of Lake County COVID-19 cases to 1,932 including 70 deaths (as of April 17, 2020, 1:00 p.m.).

The one new death was a woman in her 80s who had underlying health conditions, a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19.

The Health Department is investigating 27 long-term care facilities in the county that have two or more positive cases. These 27 facilities have a combined total of 338 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

"While the availability of testing for COVID-19 continues to expand in Lake County, we remind our residents who are experiencing symptoms to contact their healthcare provider to inquire about testing, as the availability of test kits and specific testing criteria vary by provider," said Lake County Health Department Executive Director Mark Pfister. "We will continue to provide updates to the community as testing capabilities expand.”

The Health Department provides COVID-19 testing by appointment only at its Respiratory Illness Clinic at the North Chicago Health Center, located at 2215 14th St, North Chicago. Walk-ins are not accepted. Testing is currently available for symptomatic patients of the Community Health Center, and to Lake County residents who do not have a healthcare provider who would like to become a patient of the Community Health Center. Please call the Patient Access Center at (847) 377-8800 for an appointment. Patients must complete a COVID-19 telehealth screening to determine if they meet the criteria to be tested for COVID-19.

Lake County continues to promote its ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’ campaign, which covers the basics of COVID-19, social distancing, and the importance of staying at home to protect yourself and others. The toolkit is available at www.lakecountyil.gov/stayhomesavelives and contains a wealth of information in English and Spanish. Organizations interested in promoting the campaign are encouraged to contact Danielle Ryan, dryan@lakecountyil.gov.

News releases will not be issued on Saturdays and Sundays. Numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths will continue to be updated daily on the Coronavirus Data Hub, www.lakecountyil.gov/coronavirus.

New Cases (since last update)	New Deaths (since last update)	Total Cases	Total Deaths
156	1	1,932	70

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:   

Please visit Lake County's Coronavirus Page for more information, including:

• How to protect yourself
• What to do if you are sick   
• Testing availability
• Interactive data hub
• Sign up for the Health Department’s COVID-19 newsletter
• How to get help
• How to help others    

Please visit Lake County Health Department Modification Page for information on Health Department Service Modifications.

For a list of government closures, visit Lake County's Closure Page.

If you have general questions, please email COVID19@lakecountyil.gov. Public health officials will answer the top questions weekly. Please note, the Health Department will not provide personal medical advice through this email address.

Additional resources   

On Friday, March 20, Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-10 requiring all Illinoisans to stay in their homes through April 30, 2020, to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.  For more information, please visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/stay-at-home-faqs. 

Anyone needing assistance finding food, shelter, rent or utility assistance, or other essential services, CALL 211 or TEXT your zip code to 898211 to speak with someone who can help 24/7. To receive general COVID-19 information via text message, text “COVID19” to 211211. For more information, visit www.211lakecounty.org.

For general state and national information, please call the Illinois State Hotline at 1-800-899-3931, or visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website at dph.illinois.gov, or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at coronavirus.gov. 

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