COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2023)

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. state of Illinois on January 24, 2020, when a woman in Chicago, who had just returned from the pandemic's place of origin in Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.^[2] This was the second case of COVID-19 in the United States during the pandemic. The woman's husband was diagnosed with the disease a few days later, the first known case of human-to-human transmission in the United States. Community transmission was not suspected until March 8, when a case with no connection to other cases or recent travel was confirmed.^[3]

In mid-March, as the number of known cases rose into the double digits, Governor J. B. Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation, the state's equivalent of a state of emergency, to respond to the crisis. The state took measures to halt the spread of the disease by closing all schools and colleges, ordering a stop to eviction enforcements, ordering all bars and restaurants closed to sit-in diners, and otherwise restricting large gatherings of people. As the virus spread further, the state enacted an even stronger shelter in place order, affecting schools and businesses across the state.^[4] At first declared between March 21 and April 7, the order was later extended until April 30, then May 29.^[5][6][7]

During December 2020, Illinois experienced the second highest number of deaths per week, ranking fifth per capita. This crisis has spurred calls for Governor Pritzker to respond to the pandemic more aggressively.^[8][9] As of January 2021, Illinois has the fifth highest number of confirmed cases in the United States.^[8]

As of May 26, 2021^[update], Illinois has administered 11,049,665 COVID-19 vaccine doses. 49% of the population has been fully vaccinated.^[10]