Coronavirus

The McLean County Nursing Home in Normal is seeing a spike in coronavirus cases.

McLean County has had additional morgue space since the start of the pandemic, but Coroner Kathy Yoder said the county has only needed it once.

UPDATED 4:25 P.M. | December is now the deadliest month for COVID-19 in McLean County. Health officials reported four more deaths on Friday, bringing this month’s death toll to 19. Sixty-nine people from McLean County have died since the start of the pandemic.

The McLean County Health Department on Thursday reported three more COVID-related deaths tied to long-term care facilities.

The Unit 5 school voted Wednesday night to formally dismiss a teacher charged with sexually abusing his students. Those charges were later dropped.

The McLean County Health Department reported 117 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, as the county’s testing positivity rate remained just above 9%.

Reinforced precautions are in place at Eleventh Judicial Circuit courthouses, including in McLean County, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner is isolating at home after receiving a positive test for the coronavirus on Tuesday. Renner said he immediately sought a test after his son tested positive.

Renner told WGLT in an interview Tuesday evening he "sort of lost his voice" the day before Thanksgiving and had some upper respiratory symptoms six days later.

Five Bloomington businesses have paid $400 fines to the city for violating the state’s ban on indoor dining during the coronavirus pandemic, city officials said Tuesday.

McLean County health officials on Tuesday reported four more COVID-19 related deaths. The three women in their 80s and man in his 90s were all residents of long-term care facilities.

The McLean County death toll is now 62 since the start of the pandemic. Twelve of those deaths have come since the start of the month. October was the deadliest month so far, with 15 coronavirus-related deaths.

The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) reported 108 new confirmed cases on Tuesday. Those positive results were found from a batch of about 900 tests returned in the past 24 hours.

A batch of newly released government data shows just how quickly McLean County’s second wave of COVID-19 hit Bloomington-Normal’s two hospitals.

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced Monday that LaSalle Veterans’ Home Administrator Angela Mehlbrech has been fired after a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle facility has resulted in at least 32 resident deaths. 

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said Monday he is “pretty pessimistic” that a deal on more coronavirus relief is imminent, though if it happens he wants assistance for small businesses and airlines to be front and center.

The McLean County Health Department on Monday reported 263 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, as the county’s testing positivity rate dropped to 9.3%.

Health officials gave an update on the state’s COVID-19 vaccine plan Friday with potential federal approval anticipated as early as next week.

UPDATED 5:25 P.M. | McLean County’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate dropped below 11% on Friday after a week of gradual increases.

Bloomington-Normal hospitals are almost completely out of space for new patients.

Significant community spread of COVID-19 will keep Unit 5 students in all-remote learning through the holidays.

The McLean County Health Department on Tuesday reported six more COVID-19 related deaths. That’s the highest single-day death toll since the start of the pandemic.

The McLean County Health Department is getting closer to its target of having enough contact tracers available to deal with the rise in novel coronavirus infections in Bloomington-Normal and around the region.

Bloomington-Normal hospitals have a few more intensive care beds available than they did heading into the Thanksgiving weekend, but a rise in COVID testing positivity could increase demand for those beds soon.

Nearly all of Bloomington-Normal's ICU beds are now in use, and McLean County's COVID-19 testing positivity rate ticked up again Friday after several days of improvement.

Five additional bars and restaurants in Bloomington are accused of violating the state's COVID-19 ban on indoor service, city officials said Wednesday.