As McLean County broke its single-day record for new COVID-19 cases, Gov. JB Pritzker said Thursday he’s urging hospitals to postpone non-emergency surgeries and other procedures to prepare for a likely surge of post-holiday omicron patients.
Hospital admissions are rapidly increasing throughout Illinois. There are now 47 people with COVID hospitalized at Bloomington-Normal’s two hospitals. That’s rapidly approaching the peak of 60 hospitalizations the community saw in mid to late April 2021.
In Bloomington-Normal, 92% of ICU beds are in use, and 96% of total beds in use. Across the public health Region 2 (which includes Bloomington-Normal and Peoria), 88% of ICU beds are in use.
The vast majority of COVID hospitalizations are unvaccinated people.
The Pritzker administration said Thursday that hospitals should continue to follow the Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidance on when to consider postponing elective surgeries and procedures that physicians believe can be rescheduled without risking patient harm.
“To all Illinoisans: Please understand that the nation is experiencing high COVID transmission rates, and some surgeries in Illinois will be postponed. We’re asking our residents to temporarily hold off on important medical care like tonsillectomies, bariatric surgeries and hernia repair. As we work to keep ICU beds open, I continue to applaud the efforts of our hospitals and healthcare workers across the state, who have been heroes for us all,” Pritzker said in a statement.
Some hospitals have already delayed non-emergent procedures.
Carle BroMenn Medical Center President Colleen Kannaday told WGLT in mid-December that it had already started to defer some elective surgeries in consultation with physicians. Kannaday called it a “very difficult decision.”
“You’re not able to bring a patient in for an elective surgery who’s going to require an inpatient bed or ICU bed, when there’s no bed to put them in. It’s unfortunate,” she said.
In response to the governor's announcement, OSF HealthCare Chief Operating Officer Mike Cruz said his system has a "variety of options." OSF operates St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington.
“COVID-19 has never been more widespread in many communities we serve than it is right now," Cruz said Thursday. "We are currently managing to serve people coming to us for care, and OSF HealthCare has a variety of options if we face an expected post-holiday influx, including but not limited to, delaying some non-emergency procedures and surgeries. We join with the governor and the state public health director in urging people to get vaccinated and boosted, wear a mask, carefully consider how and when you gather, wash your hands and keep your distance in public places."
Record-breaking day
Meanwhile, there were 542 new cases reported in McLean County on Thursday. That’s a new single-day record, according to WGLT’s COVID database. There are now 2,346 active cases in McLean County (hospitalized people and those isolating at home). That’s also a record, breaking previous highs set earlier this week.
The county’s testing positivity rate also reached a new high Thursday: 17.4%. That broke the previous record (16.3%) set only on Wednesday.
Bloomington's community-based testing site at the Interstate Center has seen heavy traffic this week — and long waiting times. The site, run by Pekin-based Reditus Labs, has tested over 2,700 people since Monday morning. You can find a full list of local testing options on the MCHD website.
Together, those data suggest COVID-19 has never been more widespread in McLean County than it is right now.
Two more COVID-related deaths were reported Thursday, bringing the pandemic death toll to 306 people. The latest deaths were two men in their 60s, neither in long-term care.
In all, at least 19 McLean County residents have died from COVID in December. That’s the highest monthly since the spike in deaths between November 2020 and January 2021.
COVID vaccines are widely available in Bloomington-Normal, even though just 58.3% of the population is fully vaccinated.
There’s at least one positive sign: 1,482 vaccine doses have been administered in McLean County in the past 24 hours, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data. That’s the highest single-day total since May 2021.
You can find a list of vaccination sites on the MCHD website.
