Carle Foundation Hospital has announced it has started testing for COVID-19 on-site for approved patients. The testing is still limited at the guidance of state health officials.
‘’What this means for patients is faster results – not just for Carle patients – but for all,’’ said Kayla Banks, Carle vice president of Quality and Infection Prevention. ‘’As more hospitals are capable of local testing, it reduces strain on state and commercial labs.
The number of persons diagnosed with COVID-19 in Illinois surpassed 3,000 on Friday, and the number continues to rise. As of Friday there were 11 confirmed cases in Champaign County, 1 in Douglas County, and 1 in Iroquois County.
The Champaign County Healthcare COVID-19 daily briefing reminded citizens that we have community transmission, meaning the virus is circulating among the local community and infecting people who are not sure how or where they were infected. The report added we should all consider ourselves at risk for exposure to COVID-19. That means everyone should stay home as much as possible and self-monitor for symptoms. Self-monitoring means checking yourself daily for fever, cough, shortness of breath or a sore throat. Health officials do not indicate testing for mildly ill or asymptomatic people.
