It was Friday, June 3rd that we found out Vermilion County had gone to a medium transmission level when it comes to COVID variants being active. But on the other hand, Governor Pritzker mentioned earlier this week that although case numbers are going up in various counties around Illinois; hospitalization numbers, for the most part, are not.
Vermilion County Public Health Administrator Douglas Toole agrees with the governor that one reason for that is more people being vaccinated. Because even if you do get infected with a COVID variant after vaccination, that vaccination itself will keep you from having a very serious case that requires hospitalization.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: That’s been pretty consistent throughout. Those who are vaccinated are reporting less serious symptoms. And if they are hospitalized, shorter hospitalizations and faster recovery times.
THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH STATED FRIDAY JUNE 10th THAT CHAMPAIGN AND FORD COUNTIES ARE AMONG 32 ILLINOIS COUNTIES NOW RATED AT HIGH COMMUNITY LEVELS FOR COVID-19.
The SHIELD Illinois team will continue to offer free COVID testing at the Vermilion County Health Department on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. through the end of June … and hopefully beyond that.
The SHIELD Illinois team will offer free COVID testing at DACC on one more Friday in June – the 24th – from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. There are currently no plans to offer SHIELD testing at DACC after June 24
Meanwhile, summer is in full swing and that means watch those mosquitoes. If a Culex mosquito, for example, bites an infected bird and then a human, that human could contract West Nile Virus. Toole says your best bet is to try to avoid any kind of mosquito bites, period; and who wouldn’t want to do that.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: Nobody wants mosquito bites, whether they are full West Nile Virus or not. So we’re just encouraging people to use bug repellent; stay covered up when they can. Avoid those parts of the day when the insects are most out; you know, dawn and dusk, that sort of thing.
Your best bet is to not only use repellent with DEET, but also cover your arms and legs with this shirts and sweat pants whenever you are out at those mosquito times around dawn and dusk; which of course is when many people water their gardens.
Have shoes and socks on as well, and remember to get rid of standing water in areas such as birdbaths, sandboxes, and gutters.
