Good afternoon! It’s Wednesday, though who’s keeping track anymore? Here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. How death rates vary from state to state

As governors across the nation consider how long to keep stay-at-home orders in place, an analysis by The New York Times shows how deadly COVID-19 is in each state.

For Illinois, the analysis shows 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people. That is considerably lower than New York and other northeastern states, where the coronavirus has hit hardest. New York, which has become the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, has seen 76.2 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the Times.

But in California, where broad stay-at-home measures were first enacted, the death rate stood at 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 people. [New York Times]

Meanwhile, a doctor leading federal efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine told The New York Times he was removed after questioning the treatments pushed by President Donald Trump. [New York Times]

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that a second wave of the coronavirus could be much worse because it might coincide with the fall’s flu season. [Washington Post]

The timeline of the virus’ arrival in the U.S. shifted today after tests confirmed the first known death occurred on Feb. 6 in Santa Clara County, Calif. The first deaths had previously been reported on Feb. 26 in Washington state. [NPR]

Across the U.S., there have been more than 811,000 cases and more than 44,000 deaths reported. [NPR]

2. Illinois sees surge in new coronavirus cases

State officials today announced 2,049 new confirmed cases, the highest number reported in a single day. That bumps the statewide total to 35,108. Officials also announced 98 more people have died, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,565. [WBEZ]

Here’s a map showing where cases have been reported in Illinois. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker has said the state needs to conduct 10,000 tests a day to stay ahead of the outbreak, a goal that still remains elusive. But some national projections say Illinois needs to be processing 15,000 to 900,000 tests a day. [Chicago Sun-Times]

And here’s a fascinating inside look at Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s response to the outbreak and how she’s largely left aldermen on the sidelines. [ProPublica Illinois]

Lightfoot sought to expand her emergency powers today, but a measure granting her extraordinary spending powers was stalled in the City Council. [Chicago Sun-Times]

At Chicago Public Schools, about half of the students who need computers for remote learning have received one. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, the Chicago Pride Fest has been postponed, and the fate of the city’s Pride Parade is uncertain. [Windy City Times]

In neighboring Indiana, officials are considering reopening businesses in early May. [WBEZ]

3. House prepares to vote on new relief package

The House is expected to vote tomorrow on a $484 billion deal that would replenish a federal loan program for small businesses struggling under the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would also give $75 billion to hospitals and about $25 billion for testing.

The Senate approved the bill yesterday after days of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said they are disappointed the bill does not include relief for state and local governments. But they said the Trump administration “committed” to addressing the issue in other legislation. [NPR]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he prefers allowing states struggling with pension costs — like Illinois — to file for bankruptcy. [Bloomberg]

Meanwhile, Chicago-based Potbelly said it has no plans to return a $10 million loan it received from the small-business program. [Crain’s]

4. Chinese operatives pushed disinformation about the pandemic in the U.S.

American intelligence agencies believe Chinese agents helped amplify disinformation in the U.S. in mid-March, when text messages and social media posts quickly appeared and claimed the Trump administration would soon impose a nationwide lockdown, according to officials who spoke to The New York Times.

The officials found the use of text messages particularly alarming because they have not seen that tactic before, causing federal agencies to look at new ways in which Russia, China and other nations are spreading disinformation. [New York Times]

Elsewhere in the world, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his nation’s lockdown, which began on March 14, will slowly begin to ease in the second half of May. [BBC]

Worldwide, there have been more than 2.6 million cases and more than 182,000 deaths reported. [Johns Hopkins]

5. Today’s Earth Day, and the world is becoming “wilder and cleaner”

Oh hey, it’s been 50 years since the first Earth Day. Since large portions of the population have been told to stay home because of the pandemic, air pollution has fallen around the world. Nitrogen dioxide pollution is down 30% in the northeastern U.S., and air pollution has fallen 49% in Rome, according to The Associated Press.

And with less people outside, animals are appearing in places they usually don’t visit, like coyotes on Michigan Avenue. [AP]

Speaking of wild animals in Chicago, I can’t read this without shivering. [Chicago Tribune]

Meanwhile, here’s a look at how young activists are marking Earth Day and how you can join them. [AP]

Here’s what else is happening

• The death toll from Saturday’s mass shooting in Nova Scotia climbed to 22. [NPR]
• Stock markets around the world began inching upward after oil prices saw a turnaround. [AP]
• The Chicago City Council unanimously approved retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown as the city’s new top cop. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• A video shows how a thief used a sledgehammer to steal a Van Gogh painting from a Dutch museum. [AP]

Oh, and one more thing …

In Japan, a mythical sea monster has been recruited to help fight the spread of COVID-19.

The creature is called Amabie, and it looks like a drag queen Pokémon. Japan’s health ministry sent out a PSA that urged citizens to “stop the infection from spreading” and included an image of the 19th century folklore character.

As the story goes, Amabie emerged from the ocean and predicted six years of good harvests followed by six years of disease. She said the wave of disease could be prevented if people drew her and showed off their illustrations.

So she was basically Japan’s first viral influencer more than a century before social media. [NPR]

Tell me something good …

If you could be in self-quarantine with anyone other than a family member, who would it be?

Carol writes:

“Listening to Michelle Obama read to children on YouTube today provided welcome warmth and humor in the midst of so much loss and grief.”

Who would you quarantine with? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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