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Coronavirus

WGLT's reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, which began in McLean County in March 2020.

ISU Adds 39 New Cases; County's Positivity Rate Climbs To 10.3%

WGLT | By Ryan Denham

Published August 31, 2020 at 12:27 PM CDT

McLean County Health Department sign — The McLean County Health Department said Monday it's working with a new contact tracing software from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

McLean County’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate ticked up again Monday as Illinois State University reported 39 more cases among its students.

The county reported 146 new cases on Monday, though the public was likely already aware of those via ISU’s own announcements Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are now a record 840 active cases in McLean County, mostly people isolating at home. There are four people hospitalized (unchanged since Sunday), including one in intensive case.

There is a lot of confusion about why the number of new cases reported by ISU does not always align or match with the number of new cases reported in McLean County. To explain: ISU’s COVID-positive students will be included in the county’s case totals.

The county’s testing positivity rate is now 10.3%. That, coupled with the number of cases-per-100,000 residents, will likely bump McLean County into the state’s warning-level status soon. That doesn’t automatically trigger new state mitigations, but is meant to get the attention of local leaders.

ISU on Monday reported 39 new student cases. While fewer than in recent days, ISU said those 39 cases were based on just 123 test results received the previous day, suggesting a positivity rate of 31%. (ISU’s average positivity rate for the past week has been 24%.)

The McLean County Health Department said Monday it's "working with a new contact tracing software from the (Illinois Department of Public Health). We have limited data to report (Monday), but we will continue working with IDPH to be able to provide more detailed updates in the future."

Coronavirus - Testing Positivity Rate
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Testing changes

Meanwhile, there are changes coming to two testing options used regularly by McLean County residents.

The drive-thru testing site at Bloomington’s Interstate Center now offers online pre-registration to speed up the process. That’s available at TestDirectly.com/McLean. On-site staff can assist those who encounter problems or are unable to register online. The site is run by Reditus Labs, based in Pekin.

Also, the testing site at Gibson Area Hospital in Gibson City is scheduled to close for good after Sept. 10.

The site, which has delivered faster results than other testing options, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Sept. 8, and Sept. 10.

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