Lawmakers Address Coronavirus Concerns

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With national concern about COVID-19, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Congressman Bill Foster, and Congressman Sean Casten addressed the public Monday morning.

Lawmakers Joined By Medical and Research Experts

The lawmakers were joined by leaders from Argonne National Laboratory, who are studying the virus, and Edward-Elmhurst Health, who gave updates on what they are doing to combat its spread.

Edward officials strongly recommended frequent hand washing and social distancing for all individuals, to avoid both contracting the disease yourself and spreading it to others.

“Everyone to take the social distancing extremely seriously, especially having to do with the elderly, because the elderly are the ones that use up a lot of ICU days when they get in,” said Foster. “So being very careful with grandma is one of the fundamental lessons that we all should pay attention to.”

Preparations in Place

They also said, though the hospital is prepared for when the spread of the disease reaches DuPage County in greater numbers, you should not go to the hospital unless you need to. Instead, call your physician and speak with them on the phone.

“If we do not have testing, if we do not have supplies, it could get very difficult from that perspective,” said Dr. Sanjeeb Khatua, Edward-Elmhurst Health’s COVID-19 lead. “Are we doing everything that we can possibly do to make sure that we have enough beds and availability to accommodate that, absolutely. Do I think DuPage County from a beds perspective is different from other counties?”

Foster also mentioned he and other lawmakers are looking into removing HIPAA restrictions regarding video chatting with physicians during this time, as another way to interact with doctors.

Current State of COVID-19 in Illinois

Though COVID-19 is not yet widespread in this area, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced DuPage County’s first confirmed case of coronavirus on Saturday. Will County also announced their first case today. Illinois has confirmed 93 positive tests as of this morning.

Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.