UPDATED 3:00 P.M. | McLean County health officials announced three new COVID-19 cases on Friday and said two more patients have recovered from the coronavirus.
The McLean County Health Department has reported 239 confirmed cases of the novel virus since the start of the pandemic. Nineteen of the cases remain active and all of the patients are isolating at home. The county hasn’t reported any hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since Tuesday. A vast majority of those who have contracted the virus (205) already have recovered. Thirteen patients have died.
The health department hasn't provided information regarding the three new cases.
The pandemic continues to disproportionately impact women and minorities in McLean County. Nearly 62% of coronavirus cases are women and nearly 28% of the cases involve African American--more than double the population rate. Hispanics make up nearly 12% of those infections, which also is more than twice the population rate.
The state on Friday reported an additional 595 COVID-19 cases and 77 deaths. A Peoria County woman in her 70s was among those who died.
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Testing continues
Daily testing continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Interstate Center in Bloomington. The clinic is open to anyone and can accommodate walk-ins. Connect Transit offers shuttles to the testing site from the Bloomington Walmart from 10-11:30 a.m. and from 2-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The testing site, which is run by Pekin-based Reditus, has seen an increase in use this week, averaging 114 per day since Monday.
State health officials also are recommending that anyone who has taken part in racial justice rallies or other large gatherings to get a COVID-19 test within six days, even if they don’t display symptoms.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health 9,134 McLean County residents have been tested for the coronavirus so far. That’s about 5% of the county population.
A representative of Heritage Health Normal has confirmed that the facility conducted COVID-19 testing for all residents and staff on Wednesday. The long-term care facility had its first resident test positive on May 31. That person is recovering in isolation. A staffer at the nursing home contracted the coronavirus in March and has recovered.
Heritage Health plans to test residents and staff at its Bloomington facility on Monday, according to Melissa Beaver, vice president of community relations and marketing for Heritage Operations Group. Tests conducted last week at Heritage’s senior care site in El Paso all came back negative, she said.
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