CHICAGO - Madison County's COVID-19 number increased from 12 cases to 13 cases from Sunday to Monday. St. Clair County now has 36 reported cases on Monday from 31 on Sunday.
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The Madison County Health Department Spokesperson Amy Yeager said she can't stress enough the importance of following the stay-at-home order and "social distancing."
"In the Great Influenza of 1918, Philadelphia didn't follow the warnings and the St. Louis area did," she said. "The St. Louis area had a lot fewer cases and deaths in 1918 and the same will hold true now if we follow the guidelines."
Yeager said the City of Philadelphia threw a parade that ultimately killed thousands of people during that year. The parade drew an estimated 200,000 and by the end of the week, more than 4,500 were dead. St. Louis, 900 miles away, closed schools, playgrounds, libraries, courtrooms, even churches and did not have a parade. Per capita deaths were half of Philadelphia because of those precautions.
Yeager also stressed how important it was to continue to wash and sanitize hands and keep things disinfected. The six-foot rule between people is also a good rule of thumb for this time, she added.
