LEE COUNTY — On a day where the United States surpassed 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the State of Illinois announced 986 new cases and 42 additional deaths. The total number of confirmed cases in Illinois is now at 6,980 with 141 deaths across 56 counties. There are now 47 confirmed cases in or nine county IDPH region.

KSB Hospital is serving the first confirmed COVID-19 patient at their facility. The patient is a Whiteside County resident who had previously been tested in Whiteside County. The patient came into the hospital through the emergency room, received treatment and is stable at this time. All KSB Hospital staff were properly protected through Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). There are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Lee County residents. 

Local Numbers:

Outstanding test results continue to come in very slowly. Only three new test results were received today, and all were negative. There are 70 test results pending and 107 negative test results for Lee County. KSB conducted 11 more drive thru tests today. 

City of Dixon:

The city and Dixon Chamber of Commerce and Main Street is working with 44 local businesses on the Downstate Small Business Stabilization grant. The information and application for the Payroll Protection Program through the federal government has been released. For a direct link to this program go to tomdemmer.org/covid-19 

It is important for local businesses to apply for this federal assistance as soon as possible. For more information go to dixonprepared.com/grants or email City Manager Danny Langloss at danny.langloss@discoverdixon.org  

Feeding the Hungry:

“Feeding The Hungry” has moved from The Living Well Church to the KSB Emergency Department Parking Lot on Tuesday and Thursday’s from 5:00 - 6:00 PM.  St. Anne Church hosts the program on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00. Meals are available to anyone in need with no questions asked.

“Essential” Business Questions:

If you are a business and not sure how you are affected by the "Stay at Home" Executive Order: The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) can help you decipher the Executive Order.

Please feel free to direct questions to 1-800-252-2923 or CEO.support@illinois.gov. 

The Governor’s Office is in the process of collecting and responding to questions regarding the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. To help facilitate that process, they have created an email address, Gov.COVID19stakeholder@illinois.gov, where citizens may send questions, comments and recommendations. The Governor’s staff will then compile all inquiries and respond with answers.    

What to do if you think you have COVID-19: (UPDATED INFORMATION)

During the current Corona Virus outbreak, individuals with symptoms SHOULD NOT GO to health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers without CALLING FIRST.  Instead, they can seek care by using one of the following options 

• Use the “KSB Care Anywhere” virtual care app (https://ksbhospital.zipnosis.com/) for a free 5 question screening in order to help differentiate your symptoms between the virus and other seasonal maladies. While a credit card is required for a more involved assessment, no charges will be applied if a COVID-19 testing referral is made.
• KSB is offering a Coronavirus HOTLINE, by which symptoms can be evaluated against federal screening guidelines, and if appropriate, a referral is made to their Drive-Thru Screening site. The screening site is available ONLY through the hotline and between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays by calling 815-285-7777.
• Residents with a Primary Care Practitioner can also CALL their office for advice. Again, CALL FIRST before going to the office.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

Go to KSB, IDPH, or CDC websites.  Lee County Health Department provides regular updates on its Facebook page.

• https://www.ksbhospital.com/coronavirus-outbreak-covid-19/
• http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• For businesses: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
• Facebook: Lee County IL Health Department

For general questions about COVID-19, call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or 211.