The Vermilion County Health Department reported late Thursday that 83 new COVID cases have been diagnosed in the county. There are currently 288 active COVID cases in the county. And Vermilion County Health Department Administrator Douglas Toole says there are now 17 county residents who are hospitalized with COVID.
Toole adds that of the 83 new cases reported Thursday, five of them said they had been fully vaccinated earlier for protection from COVID. As part of the interview process, contact tracers from the Health Department ask each person who tested positive whether they are fully vaccinated from COVID-19.
Many of the cases reported lately have been children, and of the 83 new cases – two are infants, one is a toddler, ten are grade school-aged children, and five are teenagers. The others include twenty in their twenties, ten in their thirties, eleven in their forties, fifteen in their fifties, seven in their sixties, and two in their seventies.
Toole says vaccinations save lives. And due to Vermilion County’s HIGH transmission status, it is recommended that everyone, despite vaccination, should wear a mask when indoors. ‘’We are encouraging our community to get vaccinated, to get tested, to stay at home when they are sick, and wear face masks,’’ said Toole.
The latest numbers show just over 33-percent of Vermilion County’s population is fully vaccinated for COVID. More than 71-percent of the county residents who are 65 or older are fully vaccinated. There have been a total of 47,738 COVID vaccinations administered in Vermilion County (including those who are 12 and above).
The Vermilion County Health Department continues to offer SHIELD ILLINOIS saliva COVID testing at the Health Department every Wednesday. The tests are offered from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Appointments are recommended, but are not required. And the tests are free. Check the Vermilion County Health Department’s website at https://www,vchd.org for more information.
