Coronavirus

UPDATED 1:00 P.M. | McLean County health officials announced the county’s first two COVID-related deaths in a week on Wednesday. The drop in fatalities comes following a surge of 33 deaths in the first two weeks of 2021.

McLean County’s COVID-19 testing positivity rate, active caseload and intensive care bed capacity are at their best levels in nearly 2 1/2 months.

McLean County will start COVID vaccinations next week for those in Phase 1b that includes essential workers and people 65 and older. That’s one week ahead of the state of Illinois’ vaccination timeline.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced revisions to his COVID-19 mitigation tiers Friday that would allow earlier indoor dining, but no regions have thus far met the requirements.

Have you ever wondered what the person on the other side of the screen thinks of your home during a Zoom meeting? Until now, a lot of us haven't.

The McLean County Health Department is reporting 146 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, as the county’s testing positivity rate fell nearly two percentage points to 8.1%.

There's a twisted silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic: Some gay and bisexual men are able to donate blood for the first time. 

Federal Drug Administration (FDA) rules long forbid men who have sex with other men from donating blood. The policy dates back to the height of the the AIDS crisis, when HIV was not well understood and there was fear of a "contaminated" blood supply.

UPDATED 12:05 P.M. | Bloomington-Normal hospital capacity showed some improvement Thursday as McLean County health officials announced 32 new coronavirus cases.

Three more McLean County residents have died from COVID-19 complications, the McLean County Health Department reported Wednesday.

Heart disease and cancer usually top the list of the reasons people die each year in central Illinois and throughout the state.  The numbers tell a grim story: 48 weeks into the pandemic, you can add COVID-19 to the list.

COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death statewide and in most central Illinois counties, including McLean, Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell.

Nearly 4,000 people in McLean County have received their first dose of the COVID vaccine, based on new vaccination data provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Hospital beds in Bloomington-Normal have reached 92% capacity, even as the number of McLean County residents hospitalized due to coronavirus complications has remained stable.

Some regions of the state could see loosened COVID-19 restrictions as early as Friday as some counties have already transitioned to the next phase of vaccine distribution, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday.

The McLean County Health Department is reporting 10 more COVID-19 related deaths and 278 new confirmed cases.

A COVID-19 outbreak at Heritage Health in Normal has become the deadliest such event at a long-term care facility in McLean County.

UPDATED 5:35 P.M. | McLean County health officials reported a new one-day record of 222 coronavirus cases on Friday, while the county’s rolling testing positivity rate surged to its highest level since early December.

The McLean County Health Department confirmed 50 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, as the county’s testing positivity rate dropped to its lowest level in more than a week.

The head of the McLean County Nursing Home says the state and the media are reporting incorrect COVID-19 data related to the facility in north Normal.

The McLean County Health Department is reporting three more COVID-19 related deaths. They include a woman in her 80s who lived in a long-term care facility, as well as two men—one in his 50s and one in his 80s—who did not.

Some nursing homes in McLean County have started doling out long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines, but many health care workers are refusing to participate.

The number of McLean County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 more than doubled overnight, up to 37 patients.

The McLean County Health Department is reporting 12 more COVID-19 related deaths and 299 new confirmed cases over the holiday weekend.

The first COVID vaccines are arriving at McLean County's long-term care facilities at the pandemic's deadliest moment.