Four Tazewell County residents are the latest individuals from the Tri-County area to succumb to complications from COVID-19 as the region’s case count continues to escalate.
Health officials on Thursday reported 356 additional infections from the day before, bringing the area tally since the start of the pandemic to 23,238 cases. That marks an increase of 10,006 positive tests since Nov. 16.
The latest victims were three men and a woman, all in their 80s. One of the men lived at Villas of Hollybrook in Morton, while the woman came from Lakeside Rehab and Healthcare in East Peoria. The other two men were not residents of long-term care facilities. The region’s death toll is now 331.
Peoria-area hospitals reported 174 patients with COVID-19 as of Thursday, including 45 in intensive care units. The number of area residents in home isolation dropped slightly to 6,655.
"We are seeing a slight decrease in the Tri-County in regards to both our daily 7-day average, as well as our 14-day average," said Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson.
But it's not all good news.
"Sadly, though, our ICU bed capacity remains stable with 50 beds in use per day, and our med surge has actually increased by 10 beds," she said.
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 8,828 new COVID-19 illnesses and 181 more deaths, pushing the statewide totals to 879,428 infections and 14,835 fatalities since mid-March. Illinois hospitals were treating 4,751 coronavirus patients as of Wednesday night, with 1,056 in ICUs and 575 on ventilators. The statewide preliminary seven-day positivity rate is 10%.
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