McLean County’s coronavirus caseload dropped Tuesday as the county announced 43 new cases. But Bloomington-Normal hospitals continue to see an increased number of COVID-19 patients.
Twin City hospitals saw an increase in COVID hospitalizations to 33. Carle BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center report 81% of their intensive care beds are in use and 84% of all beds are occupied.
This marks the first time since early June that the hospitals have provided available bed data as COVID hospitalizations have surged amid the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant. There are 20 McLean County residents hospitalized with COVID, down from 26 on Monday.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) said 466 people are isolating at home and 86 people completed their time in quarantine overnight. The county indicated 19,969 people have been released from isolation and are considered recovered.
According to MCHD data, the 43 positive tests came from a batch of about 1,100 tests returned overnight. The county’s seven-day testing positivity rate rose slightly to 3.8%, still below state and national averages.
The county has reported 245 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
COVID vaccinations
Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) show fewer COVID vaccines have been administered in McLean County than first reported. The state agency said it audits its vaccination data twice a month.
“Due to ongoing data review and quality assurance efforts, data for previously reported COVID-19 vaccine doses administered are being continuously updated. Therefore, previously reported numbers may change to reflect the updated data,” IDPH said on its website.
According to its revised data, there have been more than 179,400 vaccines put in arms in McLean County. The county’s rate of fully vaccinated is 52%, compared to the statewide rate of 52.9%.
IDPH said as of Aug. 10 it no longest includes vaccination data for people who live outside of Illinois.
COVID testing
IDPH data show more than 12,000 COVID tests were conducted in McLean County from Aug. 24-30. That's the county's highest total since November 2020, at a time when COVID cases were at an all-time high in McLean County.
