As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in east central Illinois, local public health officials are urging residents to take precautionary measures to help stop the virus from spreading out of control.
The regional seven-day positivity rate reached 7.6 percent over the weekend. Stricter mitigation measures will be imposed if the positivity rate reaches eight percent or higher for three consecutive days.
Melissa Rome, the emergency planning and response coordinator at the Vermilion County Health Department, says several of the new case outbreaks in the area are coming from weddings and restaurant gatherings. She says the virus can spread even during minimal exposure during those instances.
“As soon as you take that mask off and if you’re inside a restaurant and you’re talking loudly because everybody else if talking, you’re spreading those particles a little bit further,” she says.
Vermilion County Health Department Administrator Doug Toole says the virus is being spread all around Vermilion County.
“We seem to be at a bad spot where you’re positivity rate is testing about 10 percent, then that means anywhere you go in the county–whether it’s big cities, small cities or a small area–there’s folks who have been exposed to this,” he explained.
Toole also says the health department is hoping to have another round of drive-through flu vaccines soon, but they are limited on supplies due to contracts with other agencies and a delayed shipment of those vaccines.
