SPRINGFIELD – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign still does not have emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its saliva COVID-19 test — and that’s causing delays in expanding it to the rest of the state’s public universities and K-12 schools. University officials discussed the matter at a hearing hosted…
When Gov. JB Pritzker observes COVID-19 vaccines administered at a Peoria hospital on Tuesday morning, he’ll be witnessing among the first COVID-19…
MONTICELLO – Rural hospitals in Illinois face unique challenges as COVID-19 continues to surge across the state. Many don’t have an intensive care unit, so patients who need a higher level of care must be transferred elsewhere. Pat Schou, executive director of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network – an association of more than 50 rural…
URBANA – Undergraduate students comprised the vast majority of COVID-19 cases at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during the fall semester, with the highest infection rates occurring among students living in fraternities, sororities and other private, campus-certified housing. U of I data provided to Illinois Newsroom show that 3,226 undergrads tested positive for the…
SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 pandemic will likely worsen Illinois’ teacher shortage. Educators who were already in short supply in the state face increased challenges on the job, according to a new report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Meghan A. Kessler, who authored the report and is an assistant professor…
For health questions about COVID-19, call the Illinois Department of Public Health hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. Illinois has expanded COVID-19 testing criteria to allow anyone to get tested, regardless of symptoms. Illinois Department of Public Health IDPH’s database features testing locations in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Danville, Decatur, Mattoon, Hoopeston and Pontiac, including, but…
EVANSTON – Across Illinois, more than 80% of all ICU beds are now occupied, according to data from the state’s department of public health. The recent uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is raising concerns among state leaders and public health officials about hospitals potentially filling up in the coming weeks. Dr. Ernest Wang, past-president…
Champaign’s 20th annual Parade of Lights went before the public for the first time, Saturday evening. But instead of a procession on downtown streets, the parade features miniature floats on your computer screen. (Watch the parade at this link). The virtual “shoebox edition” of the parade was created due to COVID-19 precautions, which have led…
URBANA – During the first three months of the pandemic, the number of U.S. adults dying increased compared to previous years, according to a recent study led by University of Illinois researchers involving data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The statistically significant increase in deaths remained even after deaths attributed to…
URBANA — Coronavirus testing sites at the University of Illinois’ Chicago and Springfield campuses will not be available to students who are enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler. Recent social media posts from U of I students suggest that some were under the impression that…
URBANA — To get into University of Illinois buildings, students and employees are supposed to show an app saying that they’ve had a recent, clean COVID-19 test. Nearly one-third of the time, however, there’s no one at the door to check their status. This is the finding of a group of University of Illinois student…
URBANA – Across Illinois’ Region 6, which includes 21 counties in east-central Illinois, hospitals have less than 30% capacity remaining in their medical-surgical and intensive care units, local health officials reported this week. Hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients as rates of community transmission rise throughout the region, says Champaign-Urbana Public Health Administrator Julie…
CHICAGO — Ben Barnes has slept in abandoned buildings, hallways and alleys. For the past year or so, he’s been staying at the city’s largest homeless shelter, Pacific Garden Mission, in the shadows of the famous skyline. “I’ve always considered myself homeless because I don’t have a home,” he said on a recent crisp, fall…
For many families, this Thanksgiving will look like no other.
When University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign officials decided to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched an ambitious plan to…