COVID-19 Press Release: March 21, 2020
COVID-19 Update: March 21, 2020
This is a daily joint communication from the Sangamon County Department of Public Health along with Memorial Health System, HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield Clinic and SIU Med-icine updating you on the status of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Sangamon County. This commu-nication will come at approximately 6 p.m. each day as necessary.
At the time of this press release, the total number of confirmed cases between our five organiza-tions is four, including one death. Currently, all of the active cases are no longer hospitalized.
*These numbers indicate current inpatient numbers at hospitals in Sangamon County.
| March 21, 2020 as of 3:00pm | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 Positive new today | COVID-19 person(s) under investigation (PUI) | COVID-19 Deaths | |
| Memorial Medical Center | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| HSHS St. John's Hospital | 0 | 2 | 0 |
COVID-19 Hotlines
The Sangamon County Department of Public Health has a phone line dedicated to answering questions about COVID-19. County Health personnel will answer calls between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. County Health is looking into expanding hotline hours if neces-sary. After 4:30 p.m. a test through County Health can only be authorized under extreme cir-cumstances.
After hours if you do not have a medical emergency, and you suspect you could have been ex-posed and/or infected by the COVID-19 virus, call the IDPH 24-hour hotline at 1-800-889-3931 for further guidance.
If you have a medical emergency and you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or are being eval-uated for the virus, dial 911. Notify the dispatcher of your medical emergency first, and tell them that you have COVID-19 or are being evaluated for the virus. If possible, put on a face mask be-fore medical personnel arrive.
Governor Pritzker’s Stay at Home Order
On Friday, March 20th, Governor Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-10 requiring all Illinois-ans to stay in their homes to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The order prohibits things like visiting the homes of friends and holding gatherings of any size and closes all nonessential establishments, including most retail, recreation and entertainment businesses. It does NOT
prohibit essential activities like going to the grocery store, receiving medical care, or taking your pet for a walk. For more information on what this order means for you, please visit https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news-item.aspx?ReleaseID=21288.
Thank You to the Community
Thank you so much for your willingness to help our hospitals and healthcare providers at this time! We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of messages and support we have received in regard to cloth face masks. We will be accepting homemade face masks, but are working out do-nation logistics and will share information about how to donate them in the coming days.
*The discrepancy between total number and County Health number is created because the hospitals are caring for patients from outside counties and at multiple locations, and because some of the tests are being done by independent labs, rather than by IDPH/County Health.
