The Cook County medical examiner’s office on Wednesday announced five more deaths from COVID-19, raising the county’s tally to 13.
The most recent death was 72-year-old Patricia Ciametti of west suburban Burbank, the medical examiner’s office said. Ciametti died March 24 at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn from respiratory failure due to a COVID-19 infection with hypertension as a contributing factor, an autopsy result released Wednesday found.
On Facebook, relatives described Ciametti as a caring grandmother.
On March 23, Leon McClain, 65, of Hazel Crest died of pneumonia due to COVID-19 infection at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, the medical examiner’s office said.
John C. Johnson, 93, died March 22 at Evanston Hospital. An autopsy found the Evanston resident died of of pneumonia due to COVID-19 infection with heart disease and chronic pulmonary disease as contributing factors.
Alvin Charleston, 56, died March 22 at Resurrection Medical Center, the medical examiner’s office said. Charleston, of Jefferson Park, died of pneumonia due to COVID-19 infection with hypertension, heart disease and diabetes as contributing factors.
On March 21, former acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation John LaPlante died of COVID-19 after contracting it less than two weeks earlier. LaPlante, 80, died at Evanston Hospital of respiratory failure due to COVID-19 infection, an autopsy found.
LaPlante, of Ravenswood, fell ill shortly after returning from a recent trip to Egypt and Jordan with his wife Linda, who didn’t contract the virus.
On Wednesday, health officials announced 330 new cases have been added to the state’s total, bringing the Illinois tally to 1,865 cases. So far, 19 people have died from the outbreak in Illinois.
