Despite what is being posted on Facebook, Chicago's death rate did not go down because of COVID-19.
Cook County Medical Examiner data shows that the number of recorded deaths in Chicago last month was higher than in previous years during the same month. The office recorded 413 deaths in the city this March compared to 279 deaths in 2019, 301 deaths in 2018, and 306 deaths in 2017.
“The uptick you are seeing is a direct correlation to the rise in COVID-19 cases,” Cook County Bureau of Administration Communications Director Natalia Derevyanny recently told USA Today.
While the medical examiner data doesn’t include all deaths in Chicago, USA Today said it still offers valuable information pertaining to death rates.
Deaths may be increasing, but the Chicago Police Department reports the city has seen a decline in homicides with 24 occurring this past March and 35 occurring last March. However, shootings and victims of shootings did increase by 6% and 5%, respectively, for the month.
The decrease in homicides may be due to measures that have been implemented in the state to slow the spread of coronavirus such as banning large gatherings and ordering people to stay at home.
“We can’t specifically say that the crime rate is affected by coronavirus,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a City Hall news conference. ”But obviously what we know going back many, many years and looking at data is that when large congregations of people are outside in neighborhoods where gun violence is prevalent, that increases the risk.”
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there have been more than 5,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Chicago and 135 coronavirus-related deaths as of April 8.
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