McLean County health officials announced five more deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday as new coronavirus cases drop.
According to the McLean County Health Department (MCHD), the latest COVID-related deaths include four women: one in her 40s, one in her 60s and two in their 70s. One man in his 80s also died. None are associated with long-term care facilities.
Those deaths bring the county’s COVID-death toll since the start of the pandemic to 262. September's death toll (12) was the highest since February (15), before COVID vaccines became widely available.
Hospitalizations
MCHD said 26 McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s down five from Friday. Carle BroMenn and OSF St. Joseph medical centers report they have 24 COVID patients receiving care, an increase of two from Friday. Data provided to MCHD show 77% of their intensive care beds and 87% of all beds are available. Both totals are down from Friday.
Urbana-based Carle Health said 85% of its COVID patients systemwide are not fully vaccinated, including 16 of 17 (94%) of its COVID patients in ICUs.
McLean County reported 81 new coronavirus cases since Friday. The positive tests came from about 6,600 tests returned over three days. The county said 303 McLean County residents are isolating at home, while 129 people were released from quarantine over the weekend and 21,692 McLean County residents are considered recovered from COVID-19.
The county’s seven-day testing positivity rate fell to 2.1%. That’s just below the state average and the lowest mark in the county since July 20. The county’s cumulative positivity rate based on more than 507,100 tests held at 4.4%.
School cases
Unit 5 saw a rise in coronavirus cases among last week. According to the district’s online dashboard, 66 students and staff tested positive for the coronavirus from Sept. 26-Oct. 2. That’s an increase from 56 the week before.
Half of the new cases last week were in Unit 5’s grade schools, 18 of them are at the district’s high schools and 14 in the junior highs. Normal Community High School (10) and Normal West High School (8) had the highest totals. The district reported 240 students are in quarantine. That’s up from 226 the previous week.
District 87 indicated 11 positive cases among students and two among staff from Sept. 27-Oct. 1, according to its COVID dashboard. That’s the district’s lowest coronavirus count since the first week of school in late August. The district, which is smaller than Unit 5, reported 44 students have had to be quarantined as close contacts and 195 students had to be quarantined for experiencing COVID-like symptoms.
Eight students who were close contacts of people who tested positive for the coronavirus did not have to be quarantined because they were vaccinated.
COVID vaccines
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), nearly 187,800 COVID vaccines have been administered in McLean County.
About 54.4% of McLean County residents are fully vaccinated, compared with the state population of 55.5%. In McLean County, 56.5% of 12-to-17-year-olds are vaccinated; 58.7% of residents ages 18 to 64 and 90% of people 65 and older are fully vaccinated.
