Illinois nurse who treated first local COVID-19 patient speaks out 2 years later
HOFFMAN ESTATES - It was two years ago that the first COVID case in the US was confirmed, and cases in Illinois shortly followed.
On Friday, FOX 32 spoke with a local nurse who was on the frontlines from the beginning.
The first coronavirus patient from the Chicago area was being cared for at Amita Health Saint Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates. The woman in her 60s visited family in January 2020 in Wuhan, China. When she got back to Chicago, she found out she had the virus.
On the medical team treating the woman was charge nurse Alyssa Miller.
"The day that I found out, it was very overwhelming," Miller said. "I was scared."
Since then, the dominant strain is now the omicron variant. It appears to spread faster, infecting more people.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Friday reported 183,722 new confirmed cases. In the past week, 746 people have died.
It’s been grueling on medical professionals that have also fallen ill.
"There are days where it’s challenging, but I really have trust in our administration, the management – they have gone above and beyond for us," Miller said.