Report: Illinois has spent roughly $170 million on COVID-19 supplies

Illinois has spent nearly $170 million on purchases related to COVID-19, according to new data released by Comptroller Susana Mendoza.

A new website, launched Tuesday by Mendoza’s office, provides a breakdown of all expenditures by the state to acquire supplies such as ventilators, masks, gloves, gowns, protective eyewear, hand sanitizer and swabs. As of Tuesday, the state had spent $169.5 million.

“As long as this unprecedented public health crisis continues, my office will prioritize payments for the tools and supplies our front-line healthcare workers need to protect themselves, their patients and our communities,” Mendoza said.

The highest single-day purchase of supplies was April 10, when the state spent nearly $35 million.

Gov. JB Pritzker has repeatedly stressed the importance of acquiring equipment for healthcare workers and other essential personnel. When asked Tuesday about the costs, he said it is the “market that every state has been thrown into” due to the federal response.

“Had the president put in place the Defense Production Act to help us with all of these items, we wouldn’t be paying $5 or $6 for an N95 mask that, in normal circumstances, would cost us 85 cents or $1,” Pritzker said. He added that any instance of price gouging would be reported to the Illinois Attorney General’s office.

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