UPDATED 15:40 PM | McLean County has its first COVID-19 case related to the more contagious British variant of the coronavirus.
Jessica McKnight, department of health departments, said during a news conference on Friday that she has no details on the case, adding that it is worrying because COVID cases are resurfacing.
“We can see another increase in cases if we are sluggish in efforts to prevent transmission,” McKnight said. “The more the virus is allowed to spread, the greater the risk that we will see even more dangerous variants develop.”
Last month, health officials confirmed the South African variant in a Rock Island resident who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The McLean County Department of Health (MCHD) on Friday announced 33 new cases of coronavirus. This brings the province’s total number of confirmed and probable cases since the onset of the pandemic to 14,626.
The province reported 252 new cases in the past week – the country’s highest weekly score since January.
According to MCHD, 164 coronavirus patients isolate at home and another 40 people have completed their quarantine time in the past 24 hours and are considered recovering.
There are 22 McLean County residents hospitalized with COVID-19, while 94% of the Bloomington-Normal hospital beds and 73% of the ICU beds are occupied.
The province reports 173 COVID-related deaths.
McLean County’s seven-day test positivity rate dropped to 2.3%, while the cumulative positivity rate remains at 5.9%, based on more than 249,500 tests done since the onset of the pandemic.
Vaccine update
McKnight said McLean County expects to receive about 2,900 first-dose COVD vaccines next week. She said this has been an increase in recent weeks, and if the trend continues, the country may soon be able to vaccinate people with underlying medical conditions.
“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to move on to the 1B-Plus expansion calculation sooner than we initially expected,” McKnight said.
She said about half of the province’s eligible population had received at least one dose, adding that she wanted it to be close to 75% before expanding the qualification.
Illinois is expected to receive more than 100,000 doses of the new Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, but McKnight said she has not yet heard when the county will receive the first shipment of the single-dose vaccine.
“I think it will take a few more weeks before we see it in the provinces, although it will be great to be proven wrong and we will receive it sooner as it will enable us to give more vaccine to our community , “McKnight said.
Most of the first Johnson & Johnson vaccine shipments were targeted at mass vaccination sites throughout the state.
As of Friday, nearly 40,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in McLean County, while nearly 14,000 people in the Phase 1A and 1B populations have both received doses.
This is according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The figures show that the percentage of McLean County fully vaccinated (8.1%) slightly exceeds the state average (8%).
MCHD announced five first- and second-dose vaccination clinics over the next two weeks.
- Tuesday, March 9 at Grossinger Motors Arena in downtown Bloomington; only the first doses
- Wednesday 10 March in the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC), in normal doses only
- Thursday, March 11 at Grossinger; first and second doses
- Friday 12 March at ARC; second doses only
- Tuesday 16 March at Grossinger; only the first doses
COVID scams
MCHD also said that the department’s COVID call center received two calls from the public this week to report or text messages.
“Scammers seem to be using our phone number,” Health Department spokeswoman Marianne Manko said in a news release.
Manko said call centers and call center staff will never ask for your personal information, payment information or text messages and will ask you to click on a link.
The call center is staffed on weekdays from 09:00 to 16:00. The telephone number is (309) 888-5600.
Coronavirus In McLean County
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