Hey there! It’s Wednesday, and I’ve created a science-based, five-phase plan for getting used to wearing pants again in the event things go back to normal. I’m currently in phase two, which is sweatpants country. Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. Cook County officials search for COVID-19 deaths as far back as November

The Cook County medical examiner’s office will review a “handful” of deaths to determine if they may have been caused by COVID-19, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. A spokeswoman said the office will focus on cases involving heart attacks and pneumonia.

If a case is discovered from November, the timeline of the virus’ spread in the Chicago area would change significantly. Illinois’ first known COVID-19 death was recorded on March 16. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, state officials today reported 2,270 new cases, pushing the total to 68,232 since the outbreak began. Officials also announced 136 new deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 2,974. [WBEZ]

Testing for the coronavirus lags in Latino communities hit hardest by the outbreak in Chicago. [WBEZ]

And Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival is canceled. Organizers for Lollapalooza say they’ll make a decision about their festival by the end of month. [Chicago Tribune]

2. When will things go back to normal in Illinois?

Gov. JB Pritzker finally gave Illinois residents a better idea of how the state will reopen when he unveiled a five-phase plan this week. Moving from one phase to another is determined by health data, like infection rates, and there is no set calendar timeline for when these moves may occur.

WBEZ put together this really handy guide that explains the different phases of Pritzker’s plan and how it could affect various regions of the state differently. Illinois is currently in phase two, where the rate of infections is slowly increasing.

Schools can reopen when we hit phase four, when infections continue to drop and hospitals can handle sudden surges. Phase four also allows restaurants to open with some restrictions. Everything can go back to normal in phase five. But we can only reach the end phase when a vaccine or treatment is available and no new cases have been reported over a stretch of time. [WBEZ]

3. A look at the death toll in each state

Illinois has seen 1,400 more deaths than normal, according to a new analysis from The New York Times.

The newspaper looked at the total number of deaths in each state since mid-March and compared them to yearly averages. The analysis offers a broader view of the pandemic’s impact by including both COVID-19 deaths and fatalities caused by other reasons, as some “lives are lost to an overwhelmed health care system and fears of using it,” reports the Times. [NYT]

Meanwhile, doctors across the nation say they are seeing a huge decline in the number of patients showing up at emergency rooms with conditions like strokes and heart attacks.

“I mean, we’ve all been scratching our heads — where are all these patients?” said one doctor in California. “They’re at home, and we’re starting to get … the tip of the iceberg of this phenomenon.” [NPR]

The U.S. has reported more than 1.2 million coronavirus cases and more than 71,000 deaths. [NPR]

4. EU predicts “recession of historic proportions this year”

The bleak assessment comes as the European Union’s economy, composed of 27 nations, is expected to shrink by 7.5% this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU remains somewhat hopeful that the economy will bounce back by about 6% next year if lockdowns are slowly lifted. [NPR]

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said all shops can reopen after the country slowed down the spread of the coronavirus. [BBC]

In Africa, a survey from health officials found that most Africans will go hungry if they stay home for 14 days. [BBC]

Worldwide, there have been more than 3.7 million cases and more than 260,000 deaths have been reported. [Johns Hopkins]

5. Vaccine researchers turn to a llama named Winter

The worldwide race to find a coronavirus vaccine has reached a llama in Belgium named Winter, who “produces a special class of disease-fighting antibodies — tiny, even by antibody standards — that show early promise in laboratory tests in blocking the novel coronavirus from entering and infecting cells,” reports The Washington Post.

Here’s a look at how scientists around the world are working on antibody treatments that could be a game changer in the fight against COVID-19. [Washington Post]

Here’s what else is happening

• The Chicago Police Department launched an investigation after a man told WBEZ that officers gave him advice on how to legally shoot his machete-wielding neighbor. [WBEZ]
• Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the former CPS CEO involved in a kickback scheme, was moved from a federal prison to a halfway house. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Disney expects to lose as much as $1.4 billion in the second quarter of 2020. [NPR]
• The creator of Black Mirror says the world, grappling with a pandemic, doesn’t need another season of the dystopian, sci-fi series at the moment. [IndieWire]

Oh, and one more thing …

This Friday will be the last live show of the Rundown, and it’s going to be a “no bummers” show. But I’d like to know what you, the reader, want me to talk about during the show: Dungeons & Dragons or tattoos?

You can let me know by taking this quick poll. Then tune in on Friday to find out which topic won.

Tell me something good …

What do you like the most about WBEZ?

Lisa writes:

“I love how the news is comprehensive and interested in many perspectives. I get to think about where I stand. I also drive still and work from home as well as on the road. It’s good to hear you out there.”

Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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