Health and Medicine

UPDATED 5:55 p.m. | There are now nine people hospitalized with COVID-19 in McLean County—including three in intensive care—as Illinois State University reported 87 new cases among its students.

The growing number of positive COVID-19 cases is making it harder to staff nursing units in central Illinois.

The Illinois State University administration has asked the board of trustees to approve spending up to $3.3 million for coronavirus surveillance testing of students on campus through the end of the year.

The McLean County Health Department reported 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

The Illinois State University Lab Schools are following Unit 5 and District 87 in telling parents and families the fall term will start with online classes.

McLean County saw a slight uptick in active coronavirus cases Friday as the county announced 10 new cases, while seven patients have recovered.

Gov. JB Pritzker has created new enforcement rules for mask wearing.

Pritzker said the statewide emergency order allows warnings and then fines of up to $2,500 against businesses and other organizations that do not ensure that people wear masks on the premises. He said Friday during a news conference many businesses already do this, but some do not.

Fifteen more people have tested positive for the coronavirus in McLean County, marking the third consecutive day of double-digit cases in the county.

McLean County health officials announced nine new coronavirus cases on Friday as the county closes out a month in which its COVID-19 caseload nearly doubled. 

The McLean County Health Department reported five new cases of COVID-19 Sunday. That brought the total in the county during the pandemic to 458 cases.

McLean County’s largest commercial brewery has temporarily closed associated restaurants because one of its employees has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Peoria-based OSF Healthcare system will borrow $450 million this fall with the money financing construction of a new comprehensive cancer center in Peoria.

McLean County health officials announced 18 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the second highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic.

Illinois State University professors have deferred round two of an all-faculty meeting continued from last week. The meeting would have been Monday evening, and included consideration of nearly two dozen resolutions left over from the lengthy proceeding last Thursday.

Arrowsmith, LeRoy, Bellflower, Heyworth, and even Ellsworth might see convenient COVID-19 testing soon after the McLean County Board of Health's approval of a program to offer rural testing of the virus.

Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight said this won't necessarily be a good gauge of how much coronavirus is present in the rural areas around Bloomington-Normal, but it will help overall data reliability.

The two candidates for the 13th Congressional District say they want to improve healthcare and lower costs, but their preferred methods are very different.

The American Red Cross has a new way to encourage blood donation: Anyone who donates also will be tested to see if they have developed COVID-19 antibodies.

The Red Cross on Monday began testing donors for COVID-19 antibodies in the hope that more people would offer to donate. The test has been authorized for emergency use by the FDA.

Red Cross officials say donation is especially important now that hospitals are starting to resume surgeries and other treatments that require blood.

Three complaints have been filed against Pizza Ranch in Bloomington for opening indoor food service ahead of the end of the month target in the Restore Illinois pandemic recovery plan.

Some Twin City restaurants have not waited until the recommended end of June to reopen indoor dining.