McLean County continued its accelerated rate of new COVID-19 cases on Friday, announcing that 14 more people have contracted the coronavirus.
The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) indicated that three people are hospitalized with the virus, including one in intensive care. Sixty-eight patients are isolating at home.
Based on data from the MCHD, 357 people are considered recovered. Fifteen residents have died. The county has 443 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The county’s seven-day testing positivity rate held steady at 2.5%, while the cumulative positivity rate is 2.2%, based on more than 20,400 tests.
Health department administrator Jessica McKnight said Friday the positivity rate is one of the county’s metrics that remains stable and should keep the county from getting a warning designation from the state, which Peoria County received on Friday. However, she added people must remain vigilant.
“It’s something we always want to keep in our mind because as a community we want to keep our businesses open,” McKnight said. “We want to keep your friends and family safe. It’s important for us to keep on doing those things that will help us prevent the spread of COVID.”
Forty-one percent of the county's COVID-19 cases have come since July 1. McKnight said the recent rise in cases seems to be due largely to community spread as 34% of McLean County residents infected with COVID-19 don't know where they may have been exposed, 31% of cases were traced to household exposures, 24% are tied to out-of-state travel, and 8% of cases are tied to outbreak settings, such as workplaces.
She added McLean County has had no known COVID-19 cases tied to the McLean County Jail or homeless shelters.
Testing sites
The testing site at the Interstate Center in Bloomington conducted 409 COVID-19 tests on Thursday, topping 400 for the fourth consecutive day. The county’s first rural testing clinic Thursday at Colfax Village Hall, brought 35 people to get tested.
“We were hoping for around that much and that just shows we are getting out to those rural communities,” McKnight said. “There is a need there.”
The county health department has partnered with Chestnut Health Systems of Bloomington to develop the weekly testing clinics at three locations on a rotating schedule. The next clinic will be from 9 a.m. to noon July 30 at 201 N. Chestnut St. in LeRoy. A third clinic is from from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 6 at 103 S. Buchanan St. in Heyworth.
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