A new strain of COVID-19 that is much more contagious than the first strain has showed up in Vermilion County.
Vermilion County Health Department Administrator Doug Toole said in an email Tuesday night that a county resident has tested positive for the B117 variant that originated in the United Kingdom.
Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said on Monday that the COVID-19 vaccine is still effective against the new variant, and she said people should continue to practice social distancing, wearing face masks and get the vaccine. As of Monday, IDPH had only confirmed nine cases of the new strain, all in the Chicago area.
The county health department also reported 109 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Vermilion County has had a total of 7,359 positive cases.
Two regions of the state saw their restrictions eased on Tuesday as regions 8 and 9, consisting of the north and west suburbs of Chicago, moved into Tier 1 of coronavirus mitigations.
