McLean County health officials announced 167 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the county topped 1,000 active cases for the first time since September, following outbreaks on the Illinois State University campus after students returned to campus.
The number of COVID hospitalizations dropped from 13 to 10 over the last 24 hours, according to the McLean County Health Department (MCHD), while the county’s COVID death toll remains 41.
The county reported 1,034 patients are isolating at home and 4,590 people have been released from isolations and are considered recovered--an increase of 88 since Monday.
McLean County’s seven-day positivity rate rose to 9.2%,putting it on the verge of warning status from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). The warning designation, which the county had previously, would not lead to additional mitigations. Indoor dining at bars and restaurants and gatherings of more then 25 people remain off limits across the 20-county region as positivity rates remain high.
The county’s cumulative positivity rate is 5.1% since the start of the pandemic, based on more than 110,000 tests conducted.
MCHD has announced it is now including probably positive cases from the rapid antigen tests, based on guidance from IDPH on Nov. 6. MCHD Administrator Jessica McKnight said if the molecular tests confirms a COVID positive, the case will only be counted once.
McKnight recommends anyone who suspects he or she may have been exposed to the virus to make a list of close contacts they may have been around within 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms, or when they were first tested. She also said to let their contacts know that you may have been exposed.
The COVID-19 testing site at the Interstate Center in Bloomington has been busier than ever. Reditus Labs conducted 984 coronavirus tests on Monday and has averaged 938 daily tests over the last week, a new record.
The site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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