McLean County health officials said Tuesday two more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the county’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 81.
The number of new cases appears to have slowed in the county, with only six new cases confirmed in the last four days.
According to data from the McLean County Health Department, nearly two-thirds of those patients (52) have recovered, while four remain hospitalized and 23 are in quarantine. Two patients have died.
The state of Illinois reported 74 COVID-19 deaths for the second consecutive day, bringing the state total to 868. The latest deaths include a Tazewell County man in his 80s and a Sangamon County woman in her 70s.
The state reported 1,222 new cases on Tuesday, bringing that total to 23,247.
Gov. JB Pritzker said those numbers indicate Illinois is starting to bend the curve, but added it's too soon to roll back social distancing guidelines.
The statewide count of cases surpassed 22,000 on Monday and the number of deaths has approached 800.
Self Testing
Anyone who comes to the McLean County Fairgrounds to get a COVID-19 test will have to swab themselves.
McLean County Health Department assistant director Cathy Coverston-Anderson said the self-swab tests are less invasive.
“The good thing about it is this particular test doesn’t insert the nasal swab quite so far as the other test that was being done,” Coverston-Anderson said.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the self-swabs help preserve PPEs, particularly gloves and masks.
A recent study finds the self-swab test is just accurate as the ones medical professionals give, though some tests have suggested the conventional nasal swab test is only 70% accurate.
Medical Reserve Corps
McLean County has seen a surge in volunteer medical professionals signing up to join the fight against COVID-19.
Coverston-Anderson said the health department's medical reserve corps has grown from 70 at the start of the year to more than 100.
“This will serve us well in the coming months and year as a vaccine comes on the market and we need to do vaccine administration when it’s down the road or antivirals are available and we have to do an antiviral distribution,” she said.
It's not clear when an antiviral drug could be ready, while a vaccine is likely a year away or more.
Coverston-Anderson said it will also likely be a while before an antibody test becomes available to determine who already has immunity.
Coronavirus in McLean County
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