McLean County health officials announced 105 daily coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the county’s active caseload climbed back over 500.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) said 488 McLean County residents are isolating at home, 59 people completed their time in quarantine overnight and 20,502 people are considered recovered from COVID-19.
MCHD said 25 McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID — up one from Monday. Bloomington-Normal hospitals have 30 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment. Hospital bed availability is down to 4%, while 8% of intensive care beds in Bloomington-Normal are unoccupied.
Urbana-based Carle Health and Peoria-based OSF HealthCare say more than 80% of their COVID-19 patients are not vaccinated and 90% of COVID patients in intensive care are not vaccinated.
The county’s COVID testing positivity rate over the last seven days is 3.2%. That’s up slightly from Monday, but below state and national averages. The county’s cumulative positivity rate is 4.6% based on more than 460,600 tests conducted since the start of the pandemic.
McLean County has reported 251 COVID-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Campus caseloads
Illinois State University reported 38 new coronavirus cases on campus over the last week and 173 since the start of the fall semester. ISU’s testing positivity rate is 0.9%, according to data posted to the university’s COVID dashboard.
Faculty and staff COVID vaccination rates are up to 90% and 74% among students. The vaccination rate among students at Illinois Wesleyan University is 91%, according to its website.
IWU’s latest COVID data show 90 positive cases this fall and no new cases from Sept. 7-10, the latest period for which the university reported data as of Tuesday afternoon.
Heartland Community College has not reported COVID vaccination data, but it indicated nine students and one staff member tested positive for the coronavirus from Sept. 4-10. The campus has had 180 cases since the start of the fall 2020 semester.
Heartland public information director Steve Fast said 40 students with on-campus commitments have had positive coronavirus cases since Aug. 1.
Colleges and university staff and students are required to get the COVID vaccine, or agree to weekly testing.
COVID vaccinations
Meanwhile, McLean County saw a drop in vaccinations over the last week. Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) show 1,542 COVID vaccines were put into arms in McLean County from Sept. 7-13. That’s the county’s lowest weekly total since July 6.
According to IDPH, nearly 182,900 COVID vaccines have been distributed in McLean County. The county’s rate of fully vaccinated is 53.1% The statewide rate of fully vaccinated is 54.1%
