Doctors at a virtual town hall sponsored by Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller debunked myths surrounding COVID-19, including one about alcohol. The Chronicle continues to publish daily COVID-19 case updates. The state budget will suffer a dramatic set-back from the costs of the pandemic.
COVID-19 mythbusters: alcohol. Sorry, but drinking doesn’t help combat COVID-19. At County Commissioner Donna Miller’s virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, three area doctors offered corrections to some misinformation making the rounds. One myth the doctors debunked was the claim that alcohol can kill the virus or offer protection against it. Not true. In fact, they said excess alcohol consumption can decrease respiratory drive and lead to dehydration, which affects immune system function, making a person more vulnerable to the disease.
Keeping track of the trend. The Chronicle has for several weeks been updating the latest COVID-19 case numbers at the local, county and state level on our website. We hope the information about the virus spread helps readers get a better picture of both the seriousness of the pandemic and offers some hope for an end to the crisis as the spread begins to slow.
State budget slammed by COVID-19. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Wednesday that preliminary estimates show general revenue funds in this fiscal year will be down, at minimum, $2.7 billion and $4.6 billion in fiscal year 2021. He said states will receive federal funding to address costs associated with the pandemic, but those funds can’t be used for the broader impact on COVID-19 on state revenue.
