Campus COVID-19 trends improve in fourth week

A+health+care+worker+pulls+a+disinfectant+wipe+from+a+container+during+vaccinations+at+the+Church+of+the+Living+God+on+Saturday+afternoon.+This+past+week%2C+224+new+cases+of+COVID-19+were+detected+on+campus.

Cameron Krasucki

A health care worker pulls a disinfectant wipe from a container during vaccinations at the Church of the Living God on Saturday afternoon. This past week, 224 new cases of COVID-19 were detected on campus.

By Ethan Simmons, News Editor

Though still somewhat steady, the UI’s COVID-19 situation slightly improved in week four of classes.

After a couple weeks near 300 new COVID-19 cases, the week ended Sunday brought 224 new cases on campus.

The weekend total of 25 new cases was the lowest since Jan. 10. 

COVID-19 metrics in Champaign County and the surrounding 20 counties that make up Region 6 have continued to improve.

After bumping up slightly, the rolling seven-day test positivity rate for Region 6, which covers east central Illinois, is back down to 3.2%, the lowest mark since July 24. 

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Regional hospitalizations for the virus, at 65 as of Monday, are the lowest since July 27. Hospitalizations peaked in the region on Nov. 18, at 268, and have precipitously dropped in the last month. 

On Jan. 23, 163 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the region. 

The region has spent 41 days underneath the 8% test positivity threshold which typically calls for more COVID-19-related mitigations, like minimizing indoor dining.

Locally, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District confirmed another 59 cases of the virus among its residents after Tuesday’s tests. However, active cases dropped by 32, down to 472 active cases of COVID-19 in Champaign County.

Eleven county residents are currently hospitalized for the virus. Among Carle’s hospitals, 33 patients are hospitalized for COVID-19, including 25 of them in Urbana’s Carle Foundation Hospital and four in its intensive care unit.

Since the pandemic began, 18,060 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Champaign County, while 128 of them have died. The county has processed 1,705,020 COVID-19 tests to date. 

@esimmsnews

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