Health and Medicine

McLean County health officials reported two more COVID-related deaths on Wednesday while the county’s total of COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new record of 56.

The leader of the independent oversight organization for Illinois prisons says the state is in "uncharted territory" as the Department of Corrections works on starting in-person visits again.

Illinois will now provide Medicaid benefits to eligible mothers for up to 12 months postpartum, a major extension from the previous 60-day limit.

Within a month, Illinois prisons will be allowing in-person visitation again.

UPDATED 4 p.m. | Children make up the largest percentage of new coronavirus cases in McLean County, with the number of weekly cases reaching a three-month high.

McLean County added to its record total of COVID-19 hospitalizations on Wednesday as 97% of Bloomington-Normal hospital beds are occupied.

UPDATED 4:10 P.M. | McLean County health officials reported two more deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic on Friday as hospitalizations rose to their highest level in nearly three months.

Thirty McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19 -- the highest total since mid-January and continuing a six-week trend of increasing hospitalizations.

UPDATED 4:20 p.m. | The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) announced Friday it has determined an additional 30 deaths are linked to COVID-19, with many them happening in December when deaths tied to the pandemic peaked.

The Illinois Senate has approved a bill that would increase payouts for verdicts in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

McLean County’s coronavirus testing positivity rate reached its highest level in nearly two months on Tuesday as active cases grow and hospitalizations remain stable.

McLean County has surpassed 15,000 confirmed and probable coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced Friday the state will expand vaccine eligibility to include more essential workers.

McLean County reported two more COVID-related deaths on Friday to bring the county’s death toll to 177.

A health care bill spearheaded by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus has passed out of the State House on a party line vote.

The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) has announced it will begin scheduling COVID vaccine appointments for all eligible first-dose recipients starting at 11 a.m. for its clinics next week. That includes those in Phases 1A, 1B and 1B+ populations.

McLean County has reached its highest number of active COVID-19 cases in nearly a month, while hospitalizations and testing positivity remain largely stable.

The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) announced 24 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. Twenty-three McLean County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s unchanged since Friday.

Bloomington-Normal hospitals report 87% of their beds are occupied and 65% of intensive care beds are in use. Both numbers are down since Tuesday. Those hospitals have eight COVID-19 patients.

More than 50,000 COVID-19 vaccines have been put in people’s arms in McLean County, while nearly 11% of the county’s residents have received both vaccine doses.

The McLean County Health Department (MCHD) has announced it will begin scheduling COVID-19 vaccinations for the expanded Phase 1B+ population. The move comes weeks earlier than expected as vaccine supplies have increased across the county.

The McLean County Health Department plans to open more appointments for COVID vaccinations at 11 a.m. Thursday for two first-dose clinics.

McLean County has reported two additional COVID-related deaths to bring its death toll to 175 since the pandemic began a year ago.

Data from the McLean County Health Department (MCHD) show a much greater risk of dying from COVID-19 the older someone is.

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.

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

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.