945 Blacks in Chicago dead of COVID-19
Crusader Staff Report
The COVID-19 death toll in South Shore has climbed to 102, according to the latest data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Officer as of May 30.
The five latest deaths come from the Villa at Windsor and Symphony South Shore nursing homes. At Villa at Windsor, four people died last week, bringing the total there to 26. About 13 people have died at the Symphony South Shore.
Overall, as of June 1, 945 Blacks in Chicago have died from COVID-19, according to the Chicago Department of Health. Blacks have the highest number of COVID-19 deaths than any ethnic group in Chicago.
The medical examiner’s office reports that 661 Blacks who died of COVID-19 were from predominately Black or minority neighborhoods.
In 19 out 20 zip codes of predominately Black zip codes, the positivity rate of the number of new cases dropped lower than last week. The only exception was South Shore, where 8.04 percent of people who were tested had tested positive for the virus compared to 6.59 percent last week. Still, the new percentage is considered low by Illinois standards for new cases.
Seventy-five Blacks died from the disease in the West Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods. The death toll in Auburn Gresham is 51. Chatham and Greater Grand Crossing also had 51 COVID-19 deaths. Englewood and West Englewood each has 33 COVID-19 deaths among Blacks.
Statewide, 1,594 Blacks have died from the disease as of June 1. By comparison, 2,337 whites have died from COVID-19 and 1,054 Latinos.
Meanwhile Governor JB Pritzker has lifted the state’s stay at home order that was imposed in March. On June 1, Pritzker announced that some COVID-19 testing sites in the state have shut down amid the protests across the state following the death of George Floyd.
Pritzker did not disclose the exact location or addresses of those testing sites that were closed.
Illinois health officials announced 974 new cases of coronavirus and 23 additional deaths Monday, the lowest single-day totals the state has seen in nearly two months.
But numbers are often lower after a weekend due to slower reporting from labs.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 121,234 COVID-19 cases, including 5,412 deaths, in 101 counties in Illinois.
As the number of new cases continues to drop, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is moving forward with plans to reopen the city. Several streets in Chicago’s neighborhoods were scheduled to be closed off on June 3 to allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining service, providing much-needed relief to eateries.
“As our city looks to move into the next phase of our reopening framework, it is essential that we take additional steps to protect the health and safety of Chicagoans as they visit local businesses and travel throughout the city,” said Mayor Lightfoot.
“This vision to reimagine some of Chicago’s residential streets and key restaurant corridors allows for increased social distancing and adherence to public health guidance as we begin the gradual reopening of our great city. In coming days and weeks, I look forward to expanding these pilot projects citywide with input from the public and local stakeholders.”
