May 21, 2024
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La Salle County remains in medium risk for COVID-19

Woman in her 80s dies from complications related to the coronavirus

By Derek Barichello
FILE - James Robson, a biomedical engineering graduate student, holds a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19, on-campus testing lab, Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Boston University in Boston. The United States has improved its surveillance system for tracking new coronavirus variants such as omicron, boosting its capacity by tens of thousands of samples since early 2021.

FILE - James Robson, a biomedical engineering graduate student, holds a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19, on-campus testing lab, Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Boston University in Boston. La Salle County remained in the medium risk status Friday, May 20, 2022, for COVID-19 transmission, according to guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Charles Krupa/AP)

A fourth COVID-19 related death in La Salle County was reported for the month of May.

A woman in her 80s died from complications related to COVID-19. Her death is the 472nd COVID-related death in the county since the pandemic started.

La Salle County remained in the medium risk status for COVID-19 transmission, according to guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC strongly recommends individuals at highest risk or who have high risk people in their household consider wearing masks in indoor public places.

Take the following precautions, especially if you are at a high risk for serious illness: talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions (e.g., testing); have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or access to testing); talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments such as oral antivirals, PrEP and monoclonal antibodies

If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for severe disease: consider self-testing to detect infection before contact; consider wearing a mask when indoors with them; stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters; maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible; follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19.

The community level is based on these combined indicators. The case rate/total cases in the past seven days was 315.64/100,000; new hospital admissions of confirmed COVID-19 the past seven days was a total of five admissions or 7.1/100,000; and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the past seven days was 2.8%. Each of those indicators have increased in the past week from the previous week.

Additionally, there were 332 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in La Salle County. Making up these cases are 22 boys younger than 13, 24 girls younger than 13, four teenage boys, 19 teenage girls, 36 men in their 20s, 25 women in their 20s, 38 men in their 30s, 15 women in their 30s, 20 men in their 40s, 19 women in their 40s, 18 men in their 50s, 24 women in their 50s, 15 men in their 60s, 14 women in their 60s, 10 men in their 70s, four women in their 70s, eight men in their 80s, seven women in their 80s, three men in their 90s, six women in their 90s and a woman in her 100s.

There were 74 previously confirmed cases of COVID-19, who have been released from quarantine.

Regardless of community level, La Salle County Health Department recommendations for isolation for those testing positive and those exposed, isolation and quarantine also remain the same, including masking from days 6 to 10 when isolation/quarantine end.

The La Salle County Health Department schedules all COVID-19 tests online. Access the link at https://hipaa.jotform.com/220026540796151

La Salle County Health Department urges everyone 5 years and older to get vaccinated and all eligible individuals to get a booster. Individuals who need to start the COVID-19 vaccination series or a booster, call the La Salle County Health Department at 815-433-3366 to schedule an appointment. The health department has Johnson and Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer available.

About 57.86% of the La Salle County population has been fully-vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine; about 61.26% of the population has had at least one dose of the vaccine and 35,001 doses of vaccine boosters have been administered, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

To search for vaccine locations available near you visit https://www.vaccines.gov/.