McLean County has 6,000 active coronavirus cases, while 50 McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19.
The active caseload is a new record for a pandemic that's now into its third year.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) announced 645 new daily cases on Tuesday. The county has added 7,003 new cases since Jan. 1 as the highly contagious omicron variant leads to record spikes in cases across the county.
By comparison, McLean County did not reach 7,000 coronavirus cases until eight months into the pandemic in 2020, according to data provided by the health department and compiled by WGLT.
MCHD also reported Tuesday the death of a woman in her 70s. She was not associated with a long-term care facility.
There have been 320 COVID-related deaths in McLean County since the start of the pandemic and 14 reported in January.
Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal and OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington report they have 61 COVID patients receiving care, while 92% of their intensive care beds and 97% of all beds are full.
MCHD said 5,963 McLean County residents are isolating at home, 477 people completed their time in quarantine on Monday, and 31,057 people are now considered recovered.
McLean County’s seven-day testing positivity rate rose to 20.9%.
The rate of fully vaccinated people in McLean County is 58.6%, compared with the state vaccination rate of 61.1%.
Record testing
McLean County also shattered its record for weekly COVID-19 testing as new cases rise and people return to work and school after the holidays.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPD), 30,834 tests were conducted from Jan. 4-10, breaking the mark of 19,288 set during the first week of December.
The COVID testing site at the Interstate Center reported 735 tests were conducted on Monday, according to a spokesperson for Reditus Laboratories that runs the site.
The site is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
