Illinois reported another 1,187 coronavirus cases and eight additional deaths from COVID-19. It’s the fourth time this month that the daily caseload has topped the 1,000 mark. The rolling seven-day positivity rate — the percent of positive cases among those newly tested — also crept up to 3.1%, from 2.6% less than a week ago.
The fight against the coronavirus pandemic continued. Here’s what happened in Chicago and around the state.
News
8:54 p.m. Dart touts efforts, CDC study noting drastic drop in coronavirus cases at Cook County Jail
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Tom Dart Wednesday praised his office’s efforts to contain the coronavirus at Cook County Jail, citing a new study spearheaded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that credited the sheriff with successfully reducing the number of positive cases at the Southwest Side facility.
The jail — once named a top U.S. hotspot with hundreds of detainees infected — now stands as a model for other institutions on how to curb it, Dart declared.
“We not only bent our curve, we killed off the curve,” Dart said.
As of Wednesday, only 11 detainees had the coronavirus. Dart noted that eight of those detainees tested positive before being admitted into the jail, which currently has a population of under 5,000.
Since March, at least seven detainees, three correctional officers and one sheriff’s deputy died from complications related to COVID-19, according to Dart’s office.
Reporter Matthew Hendrickson has the full story.
6:34 p.m. Lightfoot warns of a rollback if daily case totals surpass 200
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Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday returned to the role of the heavy she has played throughout the coronavirus pandemic — warning of a rollback unless young people who account for 30 percent of new COVID cases in the city get the message.
“Some of you have joked that I’m like the mom who will turn the car around when you’re acting up. No, friends. It’s actually worse. I won’t just turn the car around. I’m gonna shut it off. I’m gonna kick you out. And I’m gonna make you walk home. That’s who I am. That’s who I must be for you and everyone else in this city to make sure that we continue to be safe,” Lightfoot said.
“I don’t want to be that person if I don’t have to. But I will if you make me. And right now, we are on the precipice. We are dangerously close to going back to a dangerous state of conditions.”
Throughout the pandemic, Lightfoot has not hesitated to do whatever she believes is necessary to keep the city safe; her arms-folded, stern-faced image inspired a hysterical stream of memes she cleverly embraced.
Lightfoot famously shut down the lakefront in late March because Chicagoans couldn’t be trusted to maintain social distance. She reopened it last month, but only for activities including walking, running and biking and with the admonition for those on the trail to “keep it moving.” Chicago’s beaches and Park District swimming pools remain closed.
She also cut off citywide liquor sales at 9 p.m. to prevent people from gathering outside those stores.
The daily average of coronavirus cases now stands at 192. If it rises above 200 — into the “moderate-high incidence” category — the mayor warned that it could trigger a retreat.
Read the full report from Fran Spielman here.
5:47 p.m. Art Institute of Chicago set to reopen July 30
The Art Institute of Chicago will reopen to the public on July 30, it was announced Wednesday. The museum has been shut down since March 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of the reopening celebration, Illinois residents can enjoy free admission through August 3.
Nearly all galleries will be open to visitors. Major exhibits include: “El Greco: Ambition and Defiance,” “Malangatana: Mozambique Modern,” “Bauhaus Chicago: Design in the City,” “Pure Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art from the Gray Collection”; and “Noda Tetsuya: My Life in Print.”
“Monet and Chicago” will open on Sept. 3.
Reporter Miriam Di Nunzio has the full story.
4:44 p.m. White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is already worried about 2021: ‘So many unknowns’
There were times in recent months that White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, the club’s owner since 1981, wondered if there would even be a season.
“I was concerned the union was maneuvering not to have a season,’’ Reinsdorf told USA TODAY Sports in a wide-ranging telephone interview from his Chicago home. “I kept hoping against hope that we’d reach an agreement and get more games in this season. I just hope the clubs and the union can figure out a way to get along before the start of next season.
“I don’t think the game was served by all of the acrimony.’’
Yet after four months of hostility — with the players union expected to file a grievance against MLB for not scheduling more games — the 2020 season officially commences July 23.
It’s just that a 60-game season, with no fans in attendance, is hardly the way Reinsdorf envisioned he’d be celebrating his 40th year as owner.
“I remember when I first heard about [COVID-19], I didn’t think much of it,’’ said Reinsdorf, who is tested twice a week for the coronavirus. “I thought it was the flu.
“It didn’t take long to get educated.’’
The pandemic has shut down sports for four months, and dealt a tremendous financial hit to Reinsdorf, who not only owns the White Sox, but also the Bulls and the United Center.
Reinsdorf, 84, hasn’t calculated the exact losses but says they “are in the nine figures.’’
Read USA Today’s full report here.
1:03 p.m. Mariano’s and other Kroger grocery stores stop giving customers coin change
Customers paying in cash at Mariano’s and other Kroger grocery stores will no longer receive coin change.
Cashiers can load coin change onto loyalty cards to go toward a future shopping trip, or customers can opt to round up their total and donate to the grocer’s public charity, the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, which helps reduce waste and hunger in communities. Or they can abandon paying in cash all together and instead use a credit or debit card.
The new policy is connected to the coronavirus pandemic, but only indirectly.
“The Federal Reserve is experiencing a significant coin shortage across the U.S., resulting from fewer coins being exchanged and spent during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mariano’s spokeswoman Amanda Puck said in an email. “Like many retailers and businesses, we are adjusting to the temporary shortage in several ways.”
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said at a June 17 hearing that, “with the partial close of the economy, the flow of coins through the economy ... has kind of stopped.”
Read Clare Proctor’s full report here.
11:28 a.m. Religious services re-imagined as pandemic rages on
Synagogues across the city are making plans to virtually host the High Holy Days online as coronavirus continues to limit in-person gatherings.
Several Reform Jewish synagogues across the city have decided virtual services would be a safer choice for the religious holiday than in-person gatherings.
The decision to host the religious ceremonies online wasn’t an easy one, but synagogue leaders cite Pikuach Nefesh — a Jewish principle that places people’s safety over Jewish law or customs — as the reason for moving away from welcoming people in person.
“With the pandemic thriving, the congregation’s leadership does not see how a synagogue can seriously consider bringing people into their facilities for the High Holidays,” said Marvin Weinstein, president of Central Synagogue of Chicago. “Social distancing and masks cannot alone eliminate all of the risks in a synagogue environment.”
On Wednesday, St. Sabina shared instructions with congregants to tune into its Sunday Worship Live Stream July 19 via phone, Zoom, and on the church’s website saintsabina.org.
Illinois has had 155,506 positive coronavirus cases and 7,128 deaths since the virus’ outbreak.
Read the full report from Manny Ramos here.
10:47 a.m. Business is booming for Tony Moser’s cleaning and disinfecting company
Like many business owners, Tony Moser has pivoted during the pandemic.
His pre-pandemic niche: cleaning and disinfecting bloody crime scenes and the homes of hoarders.
He runs two Steri-Clean franchises; one services the Chicago area, the other in Springfield.
As the coronavirus spread, his skills began attracting a new range of clients seeking to ward off the unseen threat before anyone got sick or kill any trace that might be left by workers who tested positive.
Demand has doubled.
“I’ve been to warehouses, bakeries, liquor stores, grocery stores, senior living centers and lawyers offices,” he said. “I get a lot of ‘I need it done tomorrow, because we had somebody test positive and I don’t want to shut my business down.’”
Tim Mulrooney, an analyst with William Blair who focuses on commercial services, said there’s been a clear boom in disinfection services and a number of companies are positioning themselves to ride the wave.
In addition to new companies being formed, other businesses with built in infrastructure, like pest control companies, have been adding disinfection services to their menus.
Read Mitch Dudek’s full report here
9:37 a.m. Iowa, Oklahoma added to Chicago’s travel quarantine list due to COVID-19 outbreaks
Chicagoans returning from trips to Iowa, and any Hawkeye visitors to the city, will soon have to hunker down for two weeks under Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s quarantine order for travelers from coronavirus hot spots.
Illinois’ neighbor to the west was added to the city’s travel quarantine list Tuesday, along with Oklahoma, as COVID-19 cases spike in those states.
Fifteen other states with infection rates greater than 15 cases per 100,000 residents remain on Chicago’s mandated quarantine list that first went into effect July 6: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
The order goes into effect Friday for travelers from Oklahoma and Iowa, which is the first border state added to Chicago’s list. Wisconsin is in the next tier, according to city figures, with an infection rate sitting between 10 and 15 cases per 100,000 residents.
Read Mitchell Armentrout’s full report here
8:04 a.m. First COVID-19 vaccine tested in US poised for final testing
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported Tuesday — as the shots are poised to begin key final testing.
“No matter how you slice this, this is good news,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press.
The experimental vaccine, developed by Fauci’s colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., will start its most important step around July 27: A 30,000-person study to prove if the shots really are strong enough to protect against the coronavirus.
But Tuesday, researchers reported anxiously awaited findings from the first 45 volunteers who rolled up their sleeves back in March. Sure enough, the vaccine provided a hoped-for immune boost.
Those early volunteers developed what are called neutralizing antibodies in their bloodstream — molecules key to blocking infection — at levels comparable to those found in people who survived COVID-19, the research team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“This is an essential building block that is needed to move forward with the trials that could actually determine whether the vaccine does protect against infection,” said Dr. Lisa Jackson of the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle, who led the study.
Read the Associated Press’ full report here.
New cases
- Another 25 people have died of COVID-19 in Illinois, as health officials on Tuesday announced an additional 707 people have contracted the virus.
- South Side pastor Bishop Larry Trotter has tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesman for the religious leader said Tuesday.
- Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), Chicago’s second-most-senior alderman, tested positive for the coronavirus last month. It was not known whether she remains hospitalized or is recuperating at home.
Analysis & Commentary
8:10 a.m. Dr. Fauci vs. Donald Trump and the real threat to our nation’s survival
Several months ago, my personal physician suggested that I start a campaign to make bumper stickers and T-shirts featuring the slogan “Dr. Anthony Fauci: National Treasure.”
I appreciated the sentiment. Here was a doctor expressing appreciation for the efforts of a fellow physician who had spent his entire life in public service and now, at the age of 79, seemed to be everywhere reassuring the nation that if they just wore face masks, washed their hands and practiced social distancing this deadly COVID-19 virus could be held at bay.
But now Fauci, who was a daily presence during television briefings by the White House virus task force, seemingly has disappeared from sight. He is under attack from presidential operatives who dislike the fact he has contradicted Donald Trump repeatedly. Given Trump’s love of public adulation and the limelight, there is likely some jealously as well, because Fauci has become beloved by the public.
Fauci has credibility, knowledge and integrity, which have never been Trump’s strong points.
So Trump’s thugs are posting misleading video interviews suggesting Fauci misjudged the impact of the pandemic early on. They are picking on him for failing to urge the use of face masks back in February, although he has repeatedly urged their use since then. He is mocked by White House insiders as “St. Fauci” because he is so respected.
