McLean County's testing positivity rate has fallen to its lowest level in nearly three weeks, the health department reported Sunday.
The county's positivity rate (7-day average) is now 8.4%. It hasn't been that low Aug. 26. The state's "warning" threshold is anything over 8%.
That comes as Illinois State University's on-campus testing sites have seen their positivity rates fall, too. well. ISU's rate (7-day average) is now 6.6%, down from a high of nearly 24%.
McLean County is part of the Illinois Department of Public Health's Region 2, along with 19 other counties. The region's testing positivity rate also is coming down, from a recent high of 7.7%. It's now 6.7%. State mitigations would have been triggered had the region topped 8% and stayed there for three straight days.
ISU has been the big driver behind a surge in coronavirus cases in McLean County in the past month. ISU reported four new positive tests among students on Sunday. Around 1,300 students have tested positive to date.
More children testing positive
Countywide, there were 35 new cases reported on Sunday, according to the McLean County Health Department (MCHD). Of those, 15 were college-aged people between age 18-29.
In the past week, 41 children (ages 1 to 17) have tested positive for COVID-19, health department data show.
"With schools going virtual in March, we are still learning what role children play in spread of the virus," said health department Administrator Jessica McKnight. "What we know is that even if they may be less likely to display symptoms or less likely to have severe illness, they are not immune to the virus.
"We have seen some clusters of cases recently related to extracurricular activities," she added. "Our schools that have in-person learning are taking measures to ensure social distancing is maintained and provide the safest possible environment for students, teachers, and other staff."
There are now seven people hospitalized in McLean County (up from five on Saturday), including two in intensive care.
There are 1,402 active coronavirus cases in McLean County, mostly people isolating at home. That is a new record high.
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