A drop in active COVID-19 cases of more than 43% in the Tri-County area is counterbalanced by the grim addition of 25 more deaths attributed to the ongoing pandemic.
The first figures in the new year released by Tri-County health officials show six fatalities in Peoria County since last Wednesday, 10 in Tazewell County, and nine in Woodford County – although some of the Woodford County deaths were from earlier in December and only recently verified.
The region’s death toll since the start of the pandemic has grown to 425. All of the victims reported Monday were in their 60s or older, and 10 of them were residents of long-term care facilities.
Officials reported 1,237 new coronavirus infections in the past five days, bringing the area’s case tally to 27,255. But the figures show a decline of 2,070 active cases -- from 4,790 to 2,720 -- with 131 patients in Peoria-area hospitals and 2,589 residents in home isolation. Thirty-five hospital patients are in intensive care units.
The Illinois Department of Public Health on Monday reported 5,059 new COVID-19 infections and 79 more deaths, bringing the statewide totals to 984,880 illnesses and 16,834 fatalities.
As of Sunday night, hospitals across the state were treating 3,948 COVID patients with 816 of them in ICUs and 471 on ventilators. Illinois’ seven-day positivity rate is 9.8%.
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