Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois • A8

A8 Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2, 2021 The SouThern IllInoISan 00 1 FROM PAGE ONE COVID-19 numbers in Southern Illinois this information will be updated daily with the latest numbers from local health departments in Southern Illinois. the numbers reflect new lab-confirmed COVId-19 cases reported in the last day, total cases, new COVId-19 deaths reported in the last day, total COVId-19 deaths, and recoveries. Some health departments report numbers on weekends or holidays. a dash indicates a health department did not make a report as of deadline. County New Cases Total Cases New Deaths Total Deaths Recovered alexander 1 457 0 7 448 Franklin 3 4496 0 63 4263 Gallatin 2 503 0 4 495 Hamilton 802 17 784 Hardin 0 394 0 10 371 Jackson 8 4992 0 72 4843 Jefferson 2 4235 0 75 4149 Johnson 0 1411 0 12 1386 Massac 4 1323 0 35 1278 Perry 3234 61 3165 Pope 2 320 0 2 314 Pulaski 1 675 0 4 670 randolph 0 4140 0 85 4043 Saline 9 2711 0 53 2593 union 0 2193 0 32 2153 Williamson 9 7562 0 121 7053 White 8 1720 0 27 1724 investigative report that laid out a string of miscommuni- cations, lax policy and missed opportunities when the pan- demic hit the home in LaSalle, 94 miles west of Chicago.

The report by the inspec- tor general of the Illinois De- partment of Human Services, released Friday, noted that despite escaping all traces of the deadly respiratory illness for eight months after it en- tered Illinois, there was little done to devise protocols for preventing or managing infec- tions. After the first four cases were reported Nov. 1, the virus spread to 60 residents and 43 employees as confused staff operated in an environment that was reactive and the report said. need to train as if al- ways said Prince, who arrived in Illinois on April 1 from his post as superintendent of the Ohio Veterans Homes, where he administered three facilities. there is an ab- sence of the virus we train even harder, so that when something does come to fruition, our peo- ple know exactly what to do and how to do The review found ineffective, alcohol-free hand sanitizer in abundant use and no one re- sponsible for replacing it, staff members reporting for duty by taking their own temperatures and initialing results, and scant availability and use of personal protective equipment such as face coverings.

Confusion over evacuating a wing to prepare it for quaran- tining and other errors such as placing residents who tested positive for the coronavirus in a room with others who were not sick, then not monitoring the newly exposed residents afterward, compounded the problem. Among other initia- tives are plans to develop clear, statewide policies applicable to each home; restructuring senior leadership with chain- of-command clarity and as- surances that the homes are receiving proper clinical and administrative direction; filling key positions whose vacancies have doubled work for others; and providing all employees with an email address for re- ceiving agency-wide notices and communicating their con- cerns. Infection control will be a priority with the hiring of a director and creation infec- tion-control committees at each home following standard- ized guidelines, Prince said. always been important but it did come to light, over the course of this crisis, the sig- nificant amount of work involved in being an infection control Prince said. to COVID-19 you would deal with things like pneumo- nia, flu, MRSA they were of- ten a case-by-case basis.

When COVID hit, not only monitoring residents monitoring every staff member who works The crisis struck LaSalle well into the period of COVID-19 entrenchment, and a year- and-a-half after a state audit recommended adopting con- sistent statewide policies as a result of a dis- ease outbreak at the Quincy Home which led to 14 deaths and sickened more than 70 others. In December, the director, Angela Mehl- brech, was fired and at Gov. J.B. behest, the investi- gation was underway. After three hours of critical questioning by a House com- mittee in early January, di- rector Linda Chapa Lavia, an Army veteran who had been a long-tenured member of the House herself, resigned.

LaSalle was not alone. There have been 15 COVID-19 deaths at Manteno and 25 at Quincy. Prince noted the enormity of dealing with worldwide virus that play spread across the country with a fierceness that no one could have ever predicted and unfortunately veterans homes across the nation were strug- gling in the same he said. LaSalle From A1 the self-proclaimed Happiest Place on Earth is allowing only in- state guests for now and operating at just capacity. The reopening and similar steps elsewhere around the country reflect increasing optimism as COVID-19 deaths tumble and the ranks of the vaccinated grow a stark contrast to the worsening disaster in India and Brazil and the scant availability of vaccines in many poor parts of the world.

In fact, the U.S. announced Fri- day it will restrict travel from India starting Tuesday, citing the dev- astating rise in COVID-19 cases in the country and the emergence of potentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe administration made the deter- mination on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Biden signed a proclamation barring entry to most foreigners who have been in India in the past 14 days, with exceptions for legal permanent residents, spouses and close family members of U.S. cit- izens, and some others.

He cited the spread of the virus and its variants. While the overall number of lives lost to COVID-19 in the U.S. has eclipsed 575,000, deaths have plummeted to an average of about 670 per day from a peak of around 3,400 in mid-January. Thirty-nine percent of the na- adult population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over of adults have received at least one dose, up from a month ago.

However, about of those who have gotten one dose of ei- ther the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine have not returned for their second shot, officials said. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert, said it is import- ant to complete the course to gain maximum protection against the virus. sure you get that second he said at a White House briefing. Dr.

Leana Wen, former Balti- more health commissioner and a visiting professor of health policy at George Washington Univer- sity, said fully vaccinating about of American adults is a great achievement but not enough. hardest part is ahead of she said. very concerned that we are not going to come any- where close to reaching herd im- munity in Wen noted that Fauci has es- timated to of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. The immunization drive has slowed in recent weeks, even as shots have been thrown open to all adults.

Wen said better weather and falling case counts will make it harder to reach people who have not been vaccinated yet. people who are on the fence about getting a vaccine may have less reason to get one now because they see corona- virus as an existential crisis any- she said. CDC officials also reported Friday that it was anxiety not a problem with the shots that caused fainting, dizziness and other reactions reported in 64 people at vaccine clinics in five states in early April. None got se- riously ill. Cruise lines, meanwhile, cheered the news that the CDC is committed to resuming sailing in the U.S.

by midsummer and is ad- justing some of the rules to speed the process. The CDC said in a letter to the industry this week that it will let ships cruise without going through practice trips first if of the crew and of the pas- sengers are fully vaccinated. voices of community leaders and the wider cruise com- munity are being heard and we are very grateful for said Laziza Lambert, spokeswoman for the Cruise Lines International Association. U.S. cruises have been shut down by the pandemic since March 2020.

In other travel news, the Trans- portation Security Administra- tion extended a requirement that passengers on planes, trains and buses wear masks. The rule was set to expire May 11 but will now run through Sept. 13. Airlines and their unions had pushed for an extension, saying masks help keep passengers and workers safe. In Michigan, which in recent weeks became the worst hot spot in the U.S., the numbers are finally showing improvement, and Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan to tie the lifting of restric- tions to the vaccination rate. In New York, Mayor Bill de Bla- sio said Thursday he expects to see preventive measures lifted and the city by July 1. are ready for stores to open, for businesses to open, offices, the- aters, full he said on MSNBC. But New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has maintained through- out the crisis that such decisions are his alone, and he said Thurs- day he would like to end restric- tions even sooner.

want to wait that long. I think if we do what we have to do, we can be reopened he said. Cuomo said on Friday that New York City can increase indoor din- ing to of capacity starting May 7. Vaccination From A1 JAE HONG PHOTOS, ASSOCIATED PRESS a family takes a photo in front of Sleeping Castle at disneyland on Friday in anaheim, Calif. the iconic theme park in Southern California that was closed under the strict virus rules swung open its gates Friday and some visitors came in cheering and screaming with happiness.

Guests walk down Main Street uSa at disneyland on Friday in anaheim, Calif. ANTONIO PEREZ, CHICAGO TRIBUNE Some flags fly at half-staff at the Illinois Home in LaSalle. JOHN ASSOCIATED PRESS terry Prince, Gov. J.B. designee as director of the Illinois department of affairs, discusses changes in administration, communication, policies and infection control that he and others at the agency are implementing in response to a COVId-19 outbreak last fall at the LaSalle Home.

always been important but it did come to light, over the course of this crisis, the significant amount of work involved in being an infection control specialist.Prior to COVID-19 you would deal with things like pneumonia, flu, MRSA they were often a case-by-case basis. When COVID hit, not only monitoring residents monitoring every staff member who works Terry Prince, Gov. J.B. designee as director of the Illinois department of affairs.