Coronavirus caseloads and hospitalizations continue to drop to pre-omicron levels in McLean County, while the county reported an additional COVID-related death on Friday.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) reported the latest COVID-related death was a woman in her 80s. She was associated with a long-term care facility.
The county has reported 18 COVID deaths in February as a lagging impact of the omicron surge. There have been 351 deaths reported since the start of the pandemic.
MCHD said Carle BroMenn and OSF St. Joseph medical centers have 17 COVID patients receiving care. That’s down 76% from their peak on Jan. 13. The two hospitals say 74% of their ICU beds are occupied and 91% of all beds are in use.
Twenty-three McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s up two from Wednesday.
The health department did not provide daily COVID data on Thursday because all county offices were closed during the snowstorm.
New cases
The county reported 380 weekly coronavirus cases from Feb. 12-18. That seven-day count is down 93% from the county’s omicron peak of Jan. 13. The data show children 11 and under (64) have the largest share of new cases (84), followed by people in their 20s. Children under age 5 are still not eligible to receive a COVID vaccine.
McLean County’s seven-day testing positivity rate (1.9%) fell below 2% for the first time since Nov. 3.
COVID vaccinations
According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), 60.2% of McLean County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state average is 63.4%.
Among McLean County residents 63% of children ages 12 to 17 and adults 18 to 64 are vaccinated. The rate among people 65 and older is 92.6%. Children ages 5 to 11 are vaccinated at a 24.7% clip.
IDPH indicated more than 55,500 COVID boosters have been administered in McLean County. That would account for about 32% of the county’s population.
