(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As Illinois eases COVID restrictions, a public health official who became synonymous with the state’s response to the pandemic is moving on.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, is stepping down, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday. Her last day will be March 14.
During daily coronavirus media briefings during the height of the deadly pandemic, Ezike often spoke alongside Pritzker while reviewing the latest COVID-19 statistics and strategies to beat the virus. After vaccines became available, Ezike became a major proponent of their effectiveness.
“I have utmost faith the Dr. Ezike’s next journey will also bring more good to the world, as has been the hallmark of every step of her career,” said Pritzker, who proclaimed Tuesday as a state day in her honor. “She will go down in the Illinois history books as a woman who changed our state for the better. She saved lives — many, many thousands of lives.”
Dr. Ezike, a pediatrician and internist, was asked about the timing of her departure. She said there is a “lull” in COVID cases and hospitalizations currently, and she’s hopeful there will be a quiet spring.
She became emotional as she discussed her time in the state position, citing “all of the people and all of their stories I will carry always in my heart.”
“I acknowledge and mourn with the families of all the lives lost — not just to COVID, but to gun violence, to suicide, to drug overdose, to racism, to cancer.”
Ezike said she has no immediate professional plans, other than taking it easy and spending time with her family.
Dr. Amaal Tokars has been named interim director of the state Health Department. A nationwide search will be conducted to find a permanent replacement.
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