McLean County health officials reported two more COVID-related deaths Friday as the county remains at low COVID transmission.
According to data from the McLean County Health Department (MCHD), new cases for the week rose slightly — to 227 from 235, and COVID hospitalizations dropped.
The county’s two COVID-related deaths were of a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s. The woman was associated with a long-term care facility. The man was not. There have been 395 COVID-related deaths reported in McLean County since the start of the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends in communities with low transmission that people who are at highest risk of COVID complications, or who live with high-risk people, consider wearing a mask in indoor public places.
COVID hospitalizations for the week dropped to 2.3 per 100,000 McLean County residents. That represents an 80% drop over the last two weeks. The county’s seven-day testing positivity rate rose to 20.5%.
Vaccinations up
The county has seen its highest rate of COVID vaccinations since last winter, now that the new bivalent booster dose is available to attack several omicron subvariants.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, more than 1,800 COVID vaccine doses were administered in the county over the last seven days. That’s higher than any weekly total in the county since February. The county’s rate of fully vaccinated is 63.3%. The statewide rate is 65.6%.
