McLean County health officials announced one new COVID-19 case on Tuesday, while three more patients have recovered.
According to the McLean County Health Department, the latest case involves a woman in her 20s. The department didn't release any further information about her condition.
The county has 221 confirmed coronavirus cases, including three patients who remain hospitalized and 21 who are in home isolation. A vast majority of patients (184) have already recovered, while 13 patients have died, including 10 from the Bloomington Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.
Connect Transit has started its shuttle to the drive-thru testing site at the Interstate Center in Bloomington. The shuttle will run at 15-minute intervals from the Bloomington Walmart from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The clinic is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone is eligible to be tested, but its use has waned recently since the private lab Reditus took over the site. It’s been averaging fewer than 70 tests per day, about half of what it averaged in the two weeks prior when the state of Illinois targeted the site for closure because it had been underutilized.
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Vaccine hesitation
Health care providers are concerned some children will fall behind on their scheduled vaccines because of the stay-at-home order and concerns about catching the coronavirus.
McLean County Health Department administrator Jessica McKnight said the department wants to make sure children don't run the risk of contracting a vaccine-preventable disease such as flu, the measles or chicken pox, even if schools remain closed in the fall.
“The next school year is still up in the air about what that will look like, but we are going to continue as a health department to encourage people to keep their kids up to date on their vaccines,” McKnight said. “We know that it’s very important and we want to see our community is up to date on their vaccines and protected from those other vaccine-preventable diseases.”
McKnight said the health department requires appointments for immunizations. She said that helps staff maintain social distancing and limit the risk for spreading COVID-19.
“Doing that a little differently than normal and taking less risk of exposure from more people, but we are going to continue to look at ways where we can encourage people to feel safe about bringing their kid in for the vaccine,” McKnight said.
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