3,526 New COVID-19 Cases Are One-Day High Since Feb. 5
The state reported 3,526 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 Thursday, the highest one-day total since Feb. 5. That drove the seven-day rolling…
Organizations Working To Raise Awareness About Gambling Addiction In Illinois
SPRINGFIELD – An estimated 2% of Illinois adults have a gambling problem, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. But it’s unclear which populations are most affected and at risk. The Illinois Department of Human Services launched a new study last fall aimed at collecting data on the issue of gambling disorders in the…
Ask The Newsroom: Long-Term Care Facilities, Prisons, Nursing School, Eviction Moratorium
The Illinois Newsroom team is answering questions to help Illinois residents navigate this unprecedented time. Have a question you want answered? Ask here. Below you’ll find answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines, schools and their response to the pandemic and business and government aid. Please note: This information is accurate as of March 23, 2021….
U Of I Saliva Test Coming To Two Champaign-Urbana Schools, With Hopes To Expand
URBANA – OSF HealthCare announced a new partnership with the University of Illinois Tuesday that will expand the U of I’s saliva-based COVID-19 test into the broader Champaign-Urbana community. Starting next Friday, the saliva test will be available to students, teachers and staff at two schools in Champaign-Urbana: Stratton Academy of the Arts and Urbana…
How Anti-Asian Hate Is Affecting Central Illinois’ Asian American Communities
URBANA – Anti-Asian hate appears to have worsened during the pandemic. A recent study from California State University finds anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police in major U.S. cities rose 150% last year — even as overall hate crimes dropped 7%. And an analysis released this month by the group Stop AAPI Hate found nearly…
‘We’re Very Grateful’: For Some Farmworkers, U.S. Work Visas Provide Opportunity For Vaccination
On a recent Saturday, white vans shuttled small groups of migrant farmworkers from the southern Illinois orchard where they work to St. Joseph’s…
COVID-19 Came To Champaign County One Year Ago
URBANA – Champaign County has been living with COVID-19 for one year. Sunday, March 15, 2020, was the day when the first COVID-19 case was announced in Champaign County. The news turned the coronavirus from a headline for county residents, to an eminent danger that has yet to let up. An effort was made to…
Some Illinois Clinics Serving Vulnerable Communities Still Waiting On COVID Vaccines
MURPHYSBORO – Some who work for clinics targeting vulnerable, hard-to-reach populations say they would like to play a bigger role in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. But those clinics are still waiting to get access to doses. Karla Grathler is the coordinator of the Farmworker Health Program at Shawnee Health Service, a community health center…
Golden Apple Finalist In Champaign Reflects On Teaching Amid A Pandemic
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Unit 4 teacher Dominique McCotter is one of 32 pre-K through third grade finalists for the Illinois Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching this year. McCotter is a Kindergarten teacher at Dr. Howard Elementary School. The statewide award honors teachers for their impact on student growth and learning. Recipients of the…
Popular Flea Collar Linked To Almost 1,700 Pet Deaths; The EPA Has Issued No Warning
Rhonda Bomwell had never used a flea and tick collar before. Pierre, her 9-year-old Papillon service dog, was mostly an indoor animal. Still, her veterinarian recommended she purchase one, so Bomwell went to the pet store near her home in Somerset, New Jersey, and selected Bayer’s Seresto collar. A day later, on June 2, 2020,…
‘Happy To Be Alive’ After Surviving COVID And A Double-Lung Transplant
BRIDGEVIEW – In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayra Ramirez contracted the virus and ended up in the ICU on life support. She was 28 years old. The virus had severely damaged her lungs that her doctors concluded she would not survive the illness unless she got a double-lung transplant. In June, Mayra…
Où Est-Ce Que Vous Pouvez Vous Faire Vacciner Contre Le COVID-19 Au Centre De l’Illinois?
Mise à jour le premier mars, 11:00 a.m. C’est un post au sujet de quels résidents de l’Illinois peuvent recevoir le vaccin contre le COVID-19, quand, et où. L’Illinois a commencé sa nouvelle étape de vaccination qui inclut les travailleurs essentiels et les résidents âgés de 65 ans ou plus. RESSOURCES Illinois Department of Public…
¿Dónde Puede Obtener Su Vacuna COVID-19 En El Centro De Illinois?
Actualizado el 8 de marzo a las 11:00 a.m.Esta es una publicación actualizada sobre la cual los residentes de Illinois pueden recibir la vacuna COVID-19, cuándo y dónde. Illinois ha comenzado su fase de vacunación más reciente que cubre a los trabajadores y residentes esenciales de 65 años o más. RECURSOS • Departamento de Salud…
DOL Watchdog: OSHA’s Virtual Inspections During Pandemic Likely Led To Dangerous Workplaces
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s decision during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct many inspections virtually — instead of onsite — risked worker safety, the U.S. Department of Labor’s inspector general concluded in an audit report released Tuesday. The report does not specifically mention OSHA’s enforcement at meatpacking plants, which quickly became COVID-19 hotspots last year, but…
Industry Lobbying Left Nursing Homes Vulnerable In Pandemic
Published in collaboration with the Investigative Reporting Workshop. Even before COVID-19, aides caring for elderly and disabled people in nursing homes often were overworked and underpaid, doing everything from changing linens to helping residents eat to physically rotating them to prevent bedsores. Ashley Ford often was one of four aides for as many as 42 residents…