McLean County health officials announced four new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 108.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) reported the new cases include three women: two in their 20s and one in their 30s, and one man in his 30s. The department said all four are in home isolation.
The department said 18 patients remain in isolation, while two patients are in the hospital. The 20 active cases are the most McLean County had has since April 15. That coincides with increased testing at the Bloomington drive-up site, which saw its criteria loosened April 29 to include more asymptomatic people.
Eighty-five patients have recovered from the coronavirus. Three patients have died.
The state of Illinois announced 2,270 new COVID-19 cases and 136 deaths on Wednesday. The deaths include a Peoria County man in his 50s.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports the state has 68,232 cases and 2,974 deaths.
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COVID-19 Education
The county health department has been surveying more than 50 health and social service organizations on how the county can better target its messaging to keep people safe from the coronavirus.
MCHD spokesperson Dion McNeal said two main concerns the organizations have raised are how to explain the safety risks to children and how to address mental health needs during the pandemic.
“We realize the getting through this difficult time and addressing a lot of the health disparities due to COVID-19, we aren’t able to do that by ourselves,” McNeal said.
The health department has been distributing to each organization what it calls communication tool kits that include educational materials such as how to make a mask or face covering.
The department also posts much of the material on its website and on social media.
We should all be covering our faces when out in public places!
— McLeanCountyHealth (@McLeanHealth) May 5, 2020
Remember, a face covering is anything that covers your face and nose! You can tie a bandana or scarf around your face, for example.
The CDC has also provided tutorials for simple mask-making, shown here.#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/MrYe1nrMmd
McNeal said the department counts on these community organizations such as Connect Transit and food pantries to reach a greater share of the public.
“We know that there are barriers in transportation, internet, technology, housing,” McNeal said. “I know we can’t solve all the problems, but we know we are going our best in our health response to address what we can.”
The health department sends out new educational materials to those groups every few weeks.
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