Health and Safety

Groceries and toilet paper aren’t the only things Americans are racing to buy during the COVID-19 shutdown.

They’re buying guns too.

The coronavirus story is developing quickly in Illinois. Here are updates from WGLT's newsroom and our partners at Illinois Public Radio, NPR, and The Associated Press.

Everyone staying home is bad for most businesses, but it's especially bad for those who do their business in homes.

OSF HealthCare has launched an updated digital solution to help educate and triage people who are concerned about COVID-19 and risking exposure to go to a doctor's office.

Bloomington and Normal fire chiefs said they have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for now. That includes masks, gloves, and gowns. 

McLean County is putting out a call for retired medical professionals and others who could help with the COVID-19 response.

One of the difficulties in estimating the penetration of the novel coronavirus in Bloomington-Normal has been a lack of testing. As of Tuesday, there were only eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 in McLean County. Protocols have not called for testing everyone. Early on there was also a lack of swabs used to collect test matter from nasal passages, though that is rising.

The homeless population in Bloomington-Normal is at increased risk of COVID-19 sickness, according to service providers.

A woman in intensive care in Bloomington-Normal has died of COVID-19, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The McLean County Health Department said she was in her 70s and tested positive last week. The department said the woman died late last week.

Those living close to the edge have a lot of fear and uncertainty amid the pandemic. Government responses to the coronavirus pandemic have prompted a flood of calls to 211 centers across the state.

The daily increase in reported cases of COVID-19 in Illinois is 168. One more person has died, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Cook County man was in his 70s. So far, there have been 753 confirmed cases of coronavirus caused sickness in the state.

A mutual aid group in Bloomington-Normal is channeling anxiety and stress over the coronavirus into helping others.

Meghan Reha of the McLean County Mutual Aid Team says the group formed because it's important that people at high risk stay home. Reha said they have about 15 volunteer drivers who will deliver groceries or medicine from pharmacies when authorized.

The Town of Normal is proceeding with plans to halt water shutoffs and delay a scheduled utility and waste fee increase in response to potential economic ramifications from the coronavirus pandemic.

"As we know, this situation is going to have significant economic impact," City Manager Pam Reece said during Monday's Town Council meeting. "We just don't know to what extent."

The United Way of McLean County said it will provide targeted help to reduce financial damage from the coronavirus pandemic. The United Way has announced a $100,000 allocation to support youth and families in the community affected by the outbreak.

Legal marijuana, teen vaping and rural HIV are just a few of the key issues McLean County's new health department administrator faces as she takes over a department that is seeing staff and funding cuts as more money is being devoted to mental health.

Trauma and the behavioral health concerns that come as a result must be addressed.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined a Bloomington nursing home $25,000 for letting a 49-year-old woman with dementia wander away from the facility in stockinged feet.

An Illinois toddler died nine years ago after suffering third degree burns from bathwater. The Illinois House last week approved legislation to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

A nationwide EpiPen shortage is nearing its one-year mark, leaving many fearing the risks of anaphylactic shock.

Illinois lawmakers in the House voted Tuesday to raise the age to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21.  Last year, the proposal made it to the governor’s desk, but then-Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed it. Supporters of the change are more optimistic this time.  

Dr. Don Arnold’s home office overflows with medical textbooks, old anatomical prints and six pages of a recommendation letter from his first application to medical school - framed and hanging on the wall.

“It says I have very unique and viable talents that would serve me well, but on paper a very poor academic record,” he says. “So this is code. For those who don’t know. Nobody’s going to outwardly tell you not to take a person, but this is how they write it in code.”