MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — Officials in Madison County, Illinois, have confirmed the first coronavirus case in the county.
The patient is a man in his 30s. He’s in isolation at his home and is doing well, Madison County officials said. They added that the man had recently traveled to a high-risk area in Europe but didn’t confirm exactly where he went. Officials also didn’t confirm where in Madison County the man lives.
Health officials said the man did everything right in this particular case. He followed all recommended self-quarantine procedures and alerted medical professionals as soon as he started having symptoms.
Illinois has 161 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of March 17.
Earlier Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Health announced the first death of COVID-19 in the state of Illinois.
The person who died was a Chicago resident in her 60s who tested positive for the virus earlier this month and had contact with a known COVID-19 case.
"I am deeply saddened by the news that we've dreaded since the earliest days of this outbreak: the first COVID-19 related death in Illinois," said Governor J.B. Pritzker. "All of Illinois stands with this patient's family and loved ones in mourning her loss and honoring her memory. May her memory be a blessing. There are going to be moments during the next few weeks and months when this burden feels like it is more than we can bear – this is one of those moments, but we will get through this together.”
Illinois has tested 1,500 people for COVID-19.
The vast majority of cases are in Chicago, Cook County and the Chicago suburbs. Two St. Clair County women tested positive, a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 70s. Two people in Clinton County also tested positive.
