217 Today: Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a new record number of COVID cases for 2021 on Monday.

  • The University of Illinois announced Monday that it will delay the start of in-person spring classes on its Urbana campus by one week.

  • Public health officials are pleading with the community to take all necessary COVID precautions ahead of holiday gatherings to help ease the burden on hospitals.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll hear a conversation with the director of the Vermilion County Health Department about the county’s struggles to keep up with contact tracing as cases rise over the holiday season. 

217 Today is produced by Farrah Anderson. Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel and Farrah Anderson.

Farrah Anderson

Farrah Anderson is a 2024 graduate of the University of Illinois. At Illinois Public Media, Anderson works as a general assignment reporter focusing on police and investigative stories.