The Tri-County on the verge of surpassing 45,000 total COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, while the area’s death toll has topped 700.
Public health officials on Friday reported six more fatalities linked to COVID-19 in the past day, along with 77 new confirmed or probable coronavirus infections. That brings the totals since last March to 44,952 illnesses and 705 fatalities.
The latest victims include four Peoria County residents: a woman in her 40s and a man in his 50s, both with underlying health issues; a woman in her 60s, and another woman in her 80s. The other two fatalities were a Tazewell County woman in her 60s, and a man in his 70s, who lived at a long-term care facility.
Peoria-area hospitals have 75 patients with COVID-19, including 22 in intensive care units; 450 area residents are isolating at home.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported 1,841 new cases and 49 deaths across the state since Thursday. Illinois has recorded 1,363,507 total infections and 22,369 people have died.
Meanwhile, the Tri-County now has 36.2% of residents fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as Illinois enters the bridge phase of its reopening plan.
Updated IDPH figures show Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties have combined to administer 265,515 total injections, and 127,203 individuals are fully dosed. The three counties have averaged more than 1,400 shots per day over the past week.
Illinois as a whole is up to 10.23 million total doses, and 36.8% of residents are fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday announced fully vaccinated individuals can safely forgo wearing masks and social distancing.
