ST. LOUIS — Concerns over the coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, are growing in the St. Louis area.
5 On Your Side is focusing on giving you facts and not spreading fear. We’ve gathered up the latest information you need to know about the virus, which we’ll continue to update as new information comes in.
Below is a breakdown of the cases of which we know.
Cases in Missouri:
On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported 5,111 cases and 152 deaths, an increase of 216 cases and 5 deaths from the numbers reported Wednesday. The numbers reported by the department did not include 16 deaths and about 50 cases in the St. Louis area, which brought the totals to 5,178 cases and 168 deaths in Missouri.
The St. Louis area accounts for 123 deaths and more than 3,500 cases.
On April 3, Gov. Mike Parson issued a statewide stay-at-home order, making Missouri one of the last states to do so. On April 16, he extended the order until May 3.
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On April 9, Parson ordered all public and charter schools to keep their buildings closed to students for the remainder of the school year. Students will continue with remote learning.
Cases in Illinois:
On April 16, the Illinois Department of Health announced 1,140 new cases and 125 new deaths, bringing the totals to 25,733 cases and 1,072 deaths.
Patients have ranged in age from younger than 1 to 99 years old, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
Most of the cases and deaths have been in the Chicago area.
IDPH said the number of COVID-19 cases being reported is rising quickly partly because testing is becoming easier, but also because the virus is spreading across communities.
On March 31, Gov. Pritzker extended the stay-at-home order for Illinois through the end of April. He also announced that students will stay home from school through the end of April.