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Champaign County Health District: COVID-19 information
State map: COVID-19 cases by county
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The number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Champaign County grew by 32 today — the highest 24-hour increase to date — for a total of 298.
An equal number of cases are considered active and recovered — 146 — according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
Seven patients remain hospitalized. Six have died.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 outbreak at Rantoul Foods has grown to 82 cases, and many more employees remain to be tested, according to the C-U Public Health District.
After drive-through testing was made available at the plant Friday and Saturday, 225 employees remained to be tested Monday, health district Administrator Julie Pryde said.
Efforts are still being made to get the remaining employees tested, she said. They are being asked to go to either Carle’s testing location or to Frances Nelson Health Center, she said.
The number of positive cases in the village of Rantoul grew to 88 Monday, accounting for 17 of the 32 new cases reported countywide.
Vermilion County was the only other area county to see an increase in its case count. It added three today, for a total of 31.
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CENTRAL REGION ON TRACK TO ADVANCE
The central region — which includes Champaign-Urbana and local counties — is outpacing the rest of the state in key metrics that will determine when regions can advance to the next phase of Restore Illinois plan.
To move onto Phase 3 as soon as May 29, regions must meet a combination of three criteria:
1. At or under a 20 percent positivity rate and increasing no more than 10 percentage points over a 14-day period.
The central region has the top positivity rate of the four regions — 6.0 percent — compared to 22.3 for the northeast region, 9.1 for the north central region and 10.5 for the southern region.
2. No overall increase (i.e. stability or decrease) in hospital admissions for COVID-19-like illness for 28 days.
All of the regions have experienced a drop in hospitalizations since May 1 — 18.6 percent decrease in the northeast, 35.8 percent in the north-central region, 44.4 percent in the central region, and 54.3 percent in the southern region.
3. Available surge capacity of at least 14 percent of ICU beds, medical and surgical beds, and ventilators.
As of midnight Friday, all four regions met the third requirement.
The central region had a state-best 52.4 percent medical/surgical bed availability, a state-best 44.2 percent ICU bed availability and 74.6 percent ventilator availability.
The percentages for the other three regions:
— Northeast: 17.8 percent, 18.8 percent, 64.3 percent.
— North-central: 41.1 percent, 40.6 percent, 64.9 percent.
— Southern: 45.8 percent, 28 percent, 80.7 percent.
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PRITZKER: RESULTS OF NEW MODELING ‘DISHEARTENING’
Updates to COVID-19 models used by the state now show the virus peaking in Illinois in mid-June. That’s a month later than was last announced, on April 23, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during today’s daily briefing.
“In many ways, this news is disheartening,” Pritzker said. “We have made great progress, but it’s forced us to remain at a moderated, though still high, level of key metrics for this extended period.
“Pushing out of our estimated peak is a natural consequence of flattening the curve. Remember, no one can truly stop this virus without a vaccine.”
“What we’ve been aiming to do since early March is slow down the exponential rate of transmission. We do that, it leads to a slower rate of infections over a longer period of time. … A longer timeframe might not sound like good news to some, but I promise you, it is saving lives.”
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140 CASES OF REMDESIVIR ARRIVE
The state has received its first shipment of Remdesivir, the promising COVID-19 antiviral drug, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike made the announcement during this afternoon’s daily briefing, which aired from the homes of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Ezike after a staffer in the governor’s office tested positive for COVID-19.
Ezike said the state received 140 cases of the drug, with each case able to treat five or more patients. The drug was shipped to 14 hospitals statewide that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
Ezike also reported 1,266 new COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths statewide, raising Illinois’ totals to 79,007 and 3,459.
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FORD COUNTY FAIR POSTPONED
MELVIN — The Ford County Fair, scheduled for June 14-20, has been postponed.
Fair officials hope to host a shortened event in August.
