Coronavirus

Hospital bed capacity remains limited in Bloomington-Normal, even as the number of COVID-19 cases has dropped.

UPDATED 3:40 P.M. | McLean County has its first COVID-19 case tied to the more contagious UK variant of the coronavirus.

McLean County health officials on Thursday reported 12 new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases, as the county’s testing positivity rate ticked up slightly to 2.4%.

At this point in the pandemic, OSF HealthCare says it will not turn away the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine "if it's the only option" available for patients.

McLean County health officials are reporting seven new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases. That marks the first time since mid-October the daily case count is in the single digits.

The federal government has issued emergency use authorization for a coronavirus saliva test developed by the University of Illinois for broader use around the state.

The strain on Bloomington-Normal hospitals eased slightly over the weekend due to an apparent drop in the number of COVID-19 patients.

UPDATED 4:55 P.M. | The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) plans to resume some first-dose vaccinations next week.

McLean County’s hospital bed capacity continues to constrict, even as the county’s testing positivity rate and active caseload remain low.

Illinois State University plans for a “more traditional campus experience” starting next fall after the coronavirus pandemic pushed most classroom instruction online since last March.

UPDATED 12:10 P.M. | Hospital bed capacity in Bloomington-Normal remains limited despite a steady decline in coronavirus cases.

The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) has rescheduled two COVID-19 vaccination clinics after receiving vaccine shipments that were delayed due to winter weather.

McLean County health officials are reporting 62 new coronavirus infections, as the county’s testing positivity rate held mostly steady at 2.8%.

Five nursing homes and retirement communities in McLean County have now gone a month without a new case of COVID-19, leading the Illinois Department of Public Health to remove them from the list of active outbreaks.

McLean County health officials reported five more COVID-related deaths Friday, including a man in his 30s.

About 900 McLean County residents who were set to receive their second COVID-19 vaccine dose on Friday will have to wait, while others hoping to become eligible for a first dose soon will likely have to wait for weeks.

State officials have been notified that winter weather across much of the U.S. is causing delays in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, according to a Tuesday release.

UPDATED 4:25 P.M. | McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight said she's not sure the county will be ready to expand COVID vaccine availability on the state's timeline.

McLean County health officials reported 34 new confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as the county’s rolling testing positivity rate dipped to 2.4% -- the lowest rate since Oct. 1.

Parents had mixed reactions when some Unit 5 elementary students returned to full-time, in-person learning earlier this month. Speaking to the school board Wednesday night, district superintendent Kristen Weikle addressed the difficulties of making decisions around COVID-19. 

McLean County will consider providing more funding to help keep the homeless out of the cold this winter.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that the state plans to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to individuals of all ages who have comorbidities and underlying conditions by Feb. 25.

The Bloomington Liquor Commission fined two more establishments Tuesday for violating COVID-19 mitigation rules in January, and four others for tax violations.

Eight more McLean County residents have died from COVID-19 complications, after about a week and a half without a reported fatality.

Nursing home operators are grateful long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines have started to make it to their facilities.