McLean County reported 91 new coronavirus cases on Friday, while hospital bed capacity eased slightly.
The positive cases came from a batch of about 2,300 tests returned overnight.
According to the McLean County Health Department (MCHD), 22 McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. There are 31 COVID patients receiving care at Carle BroMenn Medical Center and OSF St. Francis Medical Center. Bed capacity doubled overnight to 10%, while 85% of intensive care beds are in use.
MCHD said 568 people are isolating at home and 66 people have been released from quarantine since Thursday, and 19,860 McLean County residents are considered recovered from COVID-19.
The county’s COVID testing positivity rate dipped to 4.1%. That’s below state and national averages, which are also declining. McLean County’s cumulative positivity rate is 4.7%, based on more than 440,800 tests conducted since the start of the pandemic.
There have been 245 COVID-related deaths reported in McLean County.
McLean County remains under a risk alert, according to weekly data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The county has two metrics that triggered the warning threshold: 270 new weekly coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents and ICU bed capacity of less than 20%, based on data from the week of Aug. 22-28. All but six Illinois counties are under the IDPH’s risk alert.
School outbreaks
IDPH said 81 schools in Illinois have had COVID-19 outbreaks this school year. That includes Ridgeview Elementary School in Colfax in northeastern McLean County. According to IDPH, the school had fewer than five coronavirus cases and determined the source of the outbreak was a classroom.
COVID vaccines
IDPH data show more than 180,300 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been put in arms in McLean County. The county has a 52.2% fully vaccinated rate. The state average is 53.2%.
