By Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Health Department Wednesday reported three more coronavirus-related deaths as the number of local residents hospitalized his hit a new high.
A woman in her 80s who lived in a long-term care facility as well as a man in his 50s and a man his 80s have died, according to local health officials. There have been 116 COVID-related deaths in the county.
MCHD Administrator Jessica McKnight said there are 39 McLean County residents reported to be hospitalized due to COVID, the most since the start of the pandemic. McLean County hospitals are reporting 62% of ICU beds in use, 76% of total beds in use, and 36 others hospitalized for the virus in the county.
The county added 72 new cases Wednesday as 974 people are isolating at home. McLean County’s rolling positivity rate dropped from 10% to 9.2%.
43 additional people were released from isolation, now 10,960 have recovered.
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
The vaccine is still very limited at this time and it will likely be several weeks before all of Phase 1a (frontline healthcare workers and long-term care residents) have received a vaccine and possibly months before the vaccine is more widely available in the community. McLean County Health Department is following recommendations set by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for prioritizing distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Phase 1a: Health Care Personnel & Residents from Long Term Care Facilities
- Phase 1b: Essential frontline workers including first responders.
- Phase 1c: Those with high-risk medical conditions and adults over 65 years of age.
COVID-19 vaccine supply will increase substantially in early 2021, allowing greater distribution to the community, according to MCHD.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
