UPDATED 5:25 p.m. | The McLean County Health Department on Friday reported 118 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, as the county’s testing positivity rate climbed to 7.5%.
There are now 13 people hospitalized, up one from Thursday. Another 588 people are isolating at home.
College-aged people drove the 480 cases reported in McLean County over the last week. Nearly half (221) are in their late teens or 20s. Children under the age of 17 also made up an increasing chunk of the cases. That number was 46, on par with the 45 child cases reported at the end of last week.
In the past two months, 11% of new cases in McLean County have involved children. That's about double what it was earlier in the pandemic.
McLean County Health Department administrator Jessica McKnight said reopening schools is likely just one factor in the county’s increased cases among children.
“With kids in school you are testing them whenever they have symptoms, so we are definitely seeing more school-aged children getting tested, but also going out more and interacting with their peers more,” McKnight said.
Caseloads were relatively equal across the other age groups. People in their 30s, 40s and 50s accounted for under 50 cases each. Those in the 60s and 70s made up less than 30 cases each, while those in their 80s and 90s comprised under 10 cases each.
Testing volumes also continue to increase. Friday’s new cases were found in a batch of about 1,300 test results—up from 1,000 the day prior.
McKnight said households remain one of the leading places of COVID spread. She said that makes it important to limit the people you see outside the home.
“There’s probably a sense of safety among your friends, but just remember that within our personal bubble all of those members of your bubble also have their own bubbles,” McKnight said.
Most of Central Illinois is now at a coronavirus warning level, including Livingston, Logan, Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. McKnight noted the county’s positivity rate of 7.5% puts it closer to returning to that warning status.
“It’s a trigger for me to indicate that we are experiencing substantial community level spread,” McKnight said. “When we are talking with our schools that’s something that we are looking at is our county positivity rate.”
The warning level doesn’t trigger additional mitigations. Every region of the state is already restricted from indoor dining at bars and restaurants.
The regional positivity rate continues to rise. It’s at 10.7%. It will need to drop below 6.5% for the mitigations to be removed.
Coronavirus - Testing Positivity Rate
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Potential exposures
New contact tracing data from the Illinois Department of Public Health show bars and restaurants are the most likely potential places for coronavirus exposure in the west-central Illinois region that includes McLean County at 12%.
McKnight said bars and restaurants are just one of many workplaces in the county that have contributed to viral spread.
“Recently (we’ve had) isolated cases maybe, but we really haven’t been seeing (cases) like we were a couple of months ago. It may not be an exposure that’s happening in a restaurant or bar, but you are definitely seeing in all workplaces... individuals that are positive,” McKnight said.
Indoor dining at bars and restaurants remains off limits across the state until COVID testing positivity rates drop.
Schools are a close second in the rankings at 11.9%.
Campus positivity
Illinois State University has reached a testing positivity rate of 5%—nearly double what it was a week ago. The university conducted 1,592 tests in the past week, turning up 80 positive students. A quarter of those were reported Thursday.
As of Thursday, there were 103 active cases tied to ISU. More than 1,500 students have tested positive this fall.
Meanwhile, Illinois Wesleyan University turned up 10 new student cases on Thursday. IWU’s testing positivity rate sits at 3.43%. There are currently 32 active cases tied to the university. The total since the start of the semester is 162.
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