McLean County announced its lowest count of new coronavirus cases in more than two months on Thursday, but another COVID-related death and steady hospitalizations show the pandemic isn’t over.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) reported 17 new confirmed and probable coronavirus cases from a batch of 1,300 tests returned overnight. That’s the lowest single-day count since March 10. It puts the county’s total caseload since the start of the pandemic at 18,016.
The county also reported its 225th COVID-related death — a man in his 90s who was not associated with a long-term care facility.
McLean County has 35 residents hospitalized with COVID-19, unchanged since Wednesday. Ninety-two percent of intensive care beds and 86% of all hospital beds in Bloomington-Normal are occupied. Carle BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center have 28 COVID patients in their care.
The county reports 294 people are isolating at home, the lowest total since March 24. Meanwhile, 32 people have been released since Wednesday and 17,462 McLean County residents are considered recovered since the pandemic began.
McLean County's seven-day testing positivity rate dropped to 3.5%, while the cumulative rate remains 5.4%, based on more than 334,100 tests conducted since the start of the pandemic.
Bridge phase
Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that Illinois will officially enter the Bridge phase of Restore Illinois plan on Friday. That is the state’s final step before a complete Phase 5 reopening. That has a June 5 target date.
The Bridge phase allows for expanded capacities at bars and restaurants, officers, conferences and other events.
Nearly 10.2 million COVID vaccines have been distributed in Illinois. Thirty-seven percent of the state’s population is considered fully vaccinated.
COVID vaccines
In McLean County, nearly 133,000 COVID vaccines have been put in arms, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). About 36% of the county’s population is considered fully vaccinated.
MCHD also announced new vaccination clinics on its website. Children ages 12 to 15 who are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine can sign up at any clinic where the Pfizer vaccine is offered. The health department recommends parents line up their vaccinations quickly, so they don’t interfere with their regular back-to-school immunizations.
Unit 5 scheduled a vaccine clinic for students at Kingsley Junior High in Normal for next week. All clinics spots were claimed in less than a day.
