Two public COVID-19 testing sites established during the peak of the pandemic are shutting down.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is closing its COVID-19 testing site in the Peoria Civic Center parking lot, effective Wednesday.
The Peoria/City County Health Department reported only 231 tests were conducted there in the most recent week of reported data.
Also, Heartland Health Services is ending mass testing services at its East Bluff clinic on July 2. On-site testing will be available by appointment only at all Heartland clinics, starting July 6.
“Testing collection sites for COVID-19 are still available at a variety of locations throughout the community — hospitals, physician offices, Heartland Health Services, and many pharmacies,” Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson said in a statement “Closure of the civic center COVID-19 testing collection site is one more indication that that our community is responding to the pandemic.”
Regional case counts have fallen to their lowest levels since the pandemic began more than 15 months ago, as vaccinations have become widely available.
Still, just more than 4 in 10 people across the Tri-County region are considered fully vaccinated.
