Governor Pritzker Announces Updates on Hospitalizations and Ventilator Capacity

Building on measures to address the health and safety of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker provided an update on the state’s medical capacity to treat residents impacted by COVID-19.

“These numbers are indicators of our growing ability to manage capacity within the healthcare systems across Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “We need to stay the course for our efforts to remain effective.  I will do what’s best to safeguard the health and safety of Illinois’ residents.”

The doubling rate is the rate of the number of days it takes for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, or deaths to double, a key metric in determining any flattening in the curve. The shorter the doubling rate, the steeper the curve and the faster the growth.

On March 22, Illinois had a case doubling rate of just over two days, 2.02. And on April 1, the doubling rate was 3.61 days. As of, April 12, the COVID-19 doubling rate is now at just over 8 days, 8.17.

As of April 13, 4,283 known COVID-19 patients and suspected COVID-19 patients were hospitalized. COVID-19 patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) totaled 1,189, and 796 patients are on a ventilator. Suspected COVID-19 patients are individuals under investigation and assumed to have COVID-19 for the purpose of medical treatment.

As of April 13, Illinois has a total of 30,134 hospital beds, 2,987 of which are intensive care unit (ICU) beds. The state has 33 percent of all ICU beds available, 994 of 2,987, and 58 percent of ventilators are available, 1,742 of 3,140.

Beginning today, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will begin posting bed utilization data on their website. The data will be updated daily. The data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

The administration also made public regional data for ICU bed capacity across the state’s 11 regions.