The public health director for Illinois broke down in tears while announcing a new state record for COVID-19 infections

• The Director of the Department of Public Health in Illinois broke down in tears while announcing a new state record for coronavirus infections on Friday.
• Dr. Ngozi Ezike was brought a box of tissues, took a moment to compose herself, apologized, and continued.
• As of Sunday morning, there have been at least 376,034 cases and 9,765 deaths in Illinois, according to a New York Times database.

The Illinois Director of the Department of Public Health (IDPH) broke down in tears while announcing a new state record for coronavirus infections at a daily press briefing.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike said on Friday: "Today we are reporting 3,874 new cases for a total of 364,033 confirmed cases since the start of this pandemic," before turning away and saying "Excuse me, please."

She was brought a box of tissues, took a moment to compose herself, apologized and continued with her briefing.

Dr. Ezike said: "I'm sorry that that's the message I have for you. Nevertheless, I'm asking you to fight the fatigue. Fight the urge to give up on social distancing."

Speaking after her, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker complimented her work throughout the crisis and said: "Dr. Ezike is Superwoman. The people of the state of Illinois are her patients, and you can imagine she cares so deeply about her patients."

Earlier that day, the IDPH reported 31 additional deaths and the state's record for the highest number of tests conducted within a 24 hour span.

As of Sunday morning, the picture in Illinois was bleaker still.

There have been at least 376,034 cases and 9,765 deaths in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times database.

Nationwide, the US recorded record levels of new infections on Friday and Saturday, far surpassing a previous peak in July. President Donald Trump has continued to insist the country is "rounding the corner" on the pandemic.