The entire area of Illinois is now back under Phase 4 mitigation measures due to lessening rates of COVID-19 cases.
On Thursday morning, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced that the Metro East region near St. Louis was being put back in the less-restrictive category, which is the same phase that most of Illinois was under during the summer and early fall. Phase 4 is the highest phase a region can get to, short of a full reopening.
The statewide positivity rate reached its lowest level since October 6th, at 3.4 percent. Region 6, which includes Danville and Champaign-Urbana, has had a steady positivity rate of just under five percent for the past week. Vermilion County’s rate has fallen to levels not seen since last summer, currently at 5.6 percent.
One percent of Vermilion County’s population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, with 6,236 total doses having been administered. The Vermilion County Health Department wrapped up its third day this week for COVID-19 vaccinations, with another 220 doses going to healthcare workers and educators, some for the first time and others for their second.
Administrator Doug Toole also says that four part-time contact tracers have been hired, and they have officially begun their duties tracing new cases and contacts and doing data entry for the vaccination clinics.
