(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Here are latest developments in the coronavirus outbreak in Illinois on Thursday, May 7, 2020:
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday said he's concerned about reports that minorities have faced discrimination while wearing face masks, which are required in certain circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic. Pritzker has ordered Illinoisans to wear a mask or face covering when they cannot keep proper social distance from strangers, such as at a supermarket. The mandate, which took effect May 1, applies to anyone 2 and older who does not have a medical condition preventing them from complying. The governor said there have been reports of "misplaced assumptions about masks leading to incidents of racial profiling." The victims have been people of color, especially men, Pritzker said. MORE DETAILS HERE.
- NEW NUMBERS: The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 2,270 new cases and 136 deaths. That takes the state's overall known total to 68,232 cases, including 2,974 deaths. READ MORE HERE.
- The Cook County medical examiner Wednesday confirmed another 111 deaths connected to the COVID-19 outbreak. The newly confirmed fatalities bring the county's toll to 2,080. MORE DETAILS HERE.
- Chicago police announced Wednesday seven more cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of cases in the department to 475. Of the confirmed cases, 453 are officers and 22 are civilian employees. DETAILS HERE.
- A potential, historic strike has been avoided at dozens of Illinois nursing homes with the overnight announcement of a new contract agreement. Nursing homes have been the focus of a lot of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many of them seeing big outbreaks of COVID-19. Now, according to SEUI Healthcare, the union representing caregivers are more than 100 nursing homes in Illinois, frontline nursing home workers reached a tentative agreement with nursing home owners for a two-year contract "with significant wins that will help safeguard both workers and residents through the current pandemic and beyond." READ MORE HERE.
- The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a ventilator that was created by scientists from several countries – some of them right here in suburban Chicago. It has taken a little over a month for a team of physicists and engineers to take a ventilator design from concept all the way to FDA approval. More than a dozen Fermilab volunteers worked on the Mechanical Ventilator Milano, or MVM. MORE DETAILS HERE.
- A report suggests a big reduction in driving due to COVID-19 restrictions in Illinois could cost the state close to a half-billion dollars in lost tax revenue this year. Mary Tyler of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute looked at how much less driving there's been in Illinois since COVID-19 restrictions began. DETAILS HERE.
- There's some advice being offered Wednesday to people thinking about the day they return to work and about how to prevent separation issues in their dogs. DuPage County Board Member Brian Krajewski said he's had it happen to him. He's left home after being around his dog for a long time and the dog becomes upset with separation anxiety. Krajewski heads the DuPage County Board's Animal Services Committee. He said there are ways to prevent your dog from getting separation anxiety. READ MORE HERE.
- Are your dreams are trying to tell you something? Maybe. But at the very least, sleep researchers said dreams may be trying to help you. The COVID-19 pandemic has been creating some pretty strange dreams, sometimes even nightmares, for people, and a researcher said they're the result of the brain's effort to process and regulate emotional responses. MORE DETAILS HERE.
- Businessman and philanthropist Willie Wilson said he's planning to give away millions of face masks outside three churches this weekend after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot found problems with his original strategy. Wilson said he wanted to give out five million face masks outside the United Center to help people during the coronavirus pandemic. DETAILS HERE.
This is a rapidly evolving situation. Stay tuned to WBBM Newsradio where we will remain live, local, and committed to bringing you the latest information during this outbreak. >>LISTEN LIVE!
