URBANA – In an effort to conserve supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, some central Illinois health care providers say they are following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to safely reuse N95 masks and other protective gear. Under normal conditions, protective gear like N95 respirator masks are typically used once and
Sales of existing homes were on the rise in Illinois and in Champaign County — up until the stay-at-home restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, realtors are hoping the housing market will recover quickly, once the restrictions are lifted. Across the state, the trade group Illinois Realtors reported sales of 12,182 homes and
URBANA – Health care providers in central Illinois say they have run into issues with nursing homes not wanting to accept residents back after they’ve been hospitalized for COVID-19. Dr. Robert Healy, chief quality officer of Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, says early on in the pandemic, some nursing homes had been requiring proof that
Many of America’s rural counties have just a handful of COVID-19 cases. And health experts say that may be giving residents a false sense of security….
URBANA – Carle Foundation Hospital is preparing to launch antibody testing for COVID-19. The tests could be available to patients within the next two weeks, says Carle’s Chief Quality Officer Dr. Robert Healy. Not to be confused with COVID-19 testing that is used to diagnose someone who is currently sick, antibody testing determines whether a
Criteria for COVID-19 testing in Champaign County have expanded to include anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with the disease. Awais Vaid, epidemiologist at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, says previously, the county had limited testing to people with symptoms who met other criteria set by the state’s department of public health and the U.S. Centers for
Lisa Marlow is worried about her students. Marlow is a school nurse and educator with the Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186. The district serves primarily low-income students in a rural part of southern Illinois. When school is in session, Marlow says having eyes on students, especially those with chronic conditions like Type 1 diabetes
Champaign Unit 4 Schools Superintendent Susan Zola says the district is on track to meet the digital needs of its families as e-learning continues through the end of the school year. In general, she has a positive outlook on the remainder of the school year, as well as what might be in store for the
Construction work is considered a critical trade under Governor Pritzker’s Stay-At-Home order, so it’s been continuing while other activities have been curtailed. But preventing the spread of the coronavirus remains important. So in Champaign, city officials are asking construction companies to have COVID-19 safety plans in place. The COVID-19 jobsite safety plans are required for
Many of the public health labs determining whether people have COVID-19 have become at least overworked or, at worst, overwhelmed. Some of the country’s…
DECATUR – Nine residents at the Fair Havens Senior Living facility in Decatur have died after contracting COVID-19. So far, all COVID-19 related deaths in Macon county have been residents at the long-term care facility. The latest casualties from the virus are a woman in her 90s and another woman in her 70s, according to
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,585 new cases of COVID-19 statewide on Saturday, and an additional 125 deaths. The total number of cases across Illinois stands at 29,160 cases with 1,259 deaths across 93 of the state’s 102 counties. Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced during a news conference Saturday that the state has yet
The Rose Bowl Tavern in downtown Urbana has been open since 1946, but it’s never experienced anything quite like the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlie Harris is one of the Rose Bowl’s owners. Illinois Public Media’s Brian Moline spoke with him about what happens when a tavern can no longer be a tavern. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian
This is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19. Health care workers and first responders face serious risks…
URBANA – Of the 91 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Champaign County as of Thursday, roughly a third are still active cases. Four people have died, six are currently hospitalized and the remaining 56 have recovered. Nursing homes across the nation and in other parts of Illinois have been affected by COVID-19 outbreaks. But so far,