CHICAGO – In light of a move by Gov. JB Pritzker to expand COVID-19 testing and create alternate housing options specifically to address the effect of the pandemic in the black community and on people with disabilities, State Senator Jacqueline Collins urged a deeper inquiry into the cause of the much higher death rate among the black community.

“Expanding testing is an important first step, but we must continue fighting against the grim outcomes for the black community, which accounts for 70% of COVID-19-related deaths in Illinois,” Collins said. “The fact black Chicagoans and Illinoisans are dying at a rate so much higher than our share of the population is another sad result of the barriers put in place by a history of disinvestment and disenfranchisement. The governor has been forthright in acknowledging this inequity. I thank the governor and his administration for taking this step, but I urge them to follow through on it and find ways to save lives in the black community.”

Black Chicagoans make up 29% of the city’s population and had accounted for 70% of COVID-19-related deaths as of April 5, according to a report by WBEZ. Outcomes throughout Cook County have also fallen hardest on the black community, with 58% of COVID-19 deaths occurring among the black community, which makes up 23% of the population in the county, according to the same report.

The governor has announced Chicago will expand testing in communities of color, adding 400 tests per day, partnering with five medical institutions in order to do so.

Swabs will be collected at Lawndale Christian Health Center, PCC Community Wellness Center, Chicago Family Health Center and Friend Family Health Center, then sent to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for testing. 

In the Metro East area, three locations of the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation system will add 470 swabs per day starting next week, to be processed at Anderson Hospital in Madison County.

A state-run South Suburban drive-thru testing center will also open early next week in the Markham-Harvey area.