WASHINGTON — If you’re like most Americans, someone in your family or social circle is sick right now with COVID, flu, a cold or RSV. With the rolling waves of sickness hitting many households, some people are wondering: Could I have caught more than one of these germs at the same time? The answer is:
PEORIA — Hospitals are facing a capacity crunch just in time for the holidays. That’s due to respiratory viruses, but COVID-19 isn’t the biggest driver of hospitalizations this winter. Instead, medical officials say an earlier-than-usual onset of RSV, coupled with an influenza wave, are packing emergency departments to capacity. That’s particularly true for pediatric units
URBANA – Converting adult intensive care beds, and naming nurse teams after Hogwarts houses – these are just a couple of the ways Carle Hospital in Urbana is weathering a surge of respiratory infections among children this winter. As COVID-19 precautions have waned, other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza have spread
URBANA – Public health officials say mask-wearing, social distancing — and getting an influenza vaccine — are things everyone can do to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed this flu season. Officials are asking Americans to get the flu shot to help avoid a “twindemic” caused by a combination of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. Linda
Illinois Task Force On Property Taxes Earns Critique SPRINGFIELD – Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin says a statewide task force designed to address local property taxes has so far failed to do so. He and other House Republicans roundly criticized the group Wednesday, which was created shortly after state lawmakers approved a ballot question
Champaign Charity For Hungry, Homeless Faces Deficit CHAMPAIGN — A Champaign charity that aids the hungry and homeless is more than $270,000 in the hole as it enters the holiday season. The News-Gazette reported that Restoration Urban Ministries budgets $650,000 for housing, food and clothing. It offers church services, substance-abuse recovery programs, and self-sufficiency education.