A spike in COVID-19 cases in the Tri-County has Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson urging people to do their part to alleviate pressure on the health care system.
During the weekly health briefing Thursday, Hendrickson reported 27 intensive care unit beds are being used for COVID patients between the region’s hospital systems — OSF Health Care and UnityPoint Health Central Illinois.
“Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford County are all part of Region 2, which now sits at 33% of their ICU beds are in use for COVID patients alone,” said Hendrickson.
Total hospitalizations in the Tri-County climbed to 69, the most since there were 72 on May 19. Adding in people isolating at home, the region’s caseload is up to 2,285 — the highest total since 2,287 on April 22.
With the numbers trending upward, Hendrickson stressed the need for people to get vaccinated, get tested if they feel sick, wear masks, and continue to practice social distancing.
“Overall, our ICU capacity at this time of year is always strained because we're in the middle of respiratory season, whether it's influenza or other respiratory illnesses,” she said. “Right now (with) our ICU beds, seeing that there's 27 in use, that is a considerable chunk of our ICU beds between the two hospital systems. “That still means that there are people with heart attacks, people with other respiratory illnesses, whether it's pneumonia, or severe influenza — any of that is still also taking up capacity.”
Hendrickson said the delta variant of the coronavirus still accounts for most of the region’s illnesses, adding the omicron variant has not been detected in the area yet but, “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
With the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approving Pfizer booster vaccinations for 16- and 17-year-olds, Hendrickson said she expects the local health departments will begin providing shots early next week after they receive guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
“It's the same type of booster as for 18 and older, so we have the supply available,” said Hendrickson, noting it’s not yet clear whether teens who got initial Moderna shots will be eligible for Pfizer boosters. “All of that will be hopefully clearly laid out with the ACIP recommendations that come through,” she said.
Figures updated Thursday by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) indicate 53.9% of Tri-County residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and 57.8% have received at least one shot. Hendrickson said studies have shown that individuals who have received booster doses are having stronger protection, and reports of breakthrough infections should not keep people from getting vaccinated.
“First and foremost, the purpose of vaccination is to prevent severe illness and death,” she said. “Even though we did see a breakthrough case with a variant, that individual was able to stay at home, had a mild cough, and was not hospitalized at all. So in essence, the vaccine worked.”
The region’s total COVID case count since the start of the pandemic stands at 60,120, including 30,045 in Peoria County alone. Tazewell County saw an increase of 925 total cases in the past week, with Peoria County adding 787 and Woodford County adding 208. Ten fatalities in the past seven days moved the region’s death toll since March 2020 to 880.
Hendrickson stressed the importance of getting tested for COVID-19 for anyone who may be experiencing symptoms. But she also noted that results of over-the-counter testing kits available at chain drugstores don’t get reported to doctors, hospitals, or the health department.
“These tests are not part of what we call the public health surveillance system,” she said. “What that means is, if you are needing a letter to return to work (or) if you are needing to have documentation as to why you are missing activities, the over-the-counter tests — while useful for quick detection—– are not going to be ones that are accepted or that we know about to be able to follow through with.”
Hendrickson said she doesn’t anticipate the current surge in cases resulting in stricter mitigation orders, as long as people follow the current recommendations.
“I think we are very much understanding the fact that vaccinations are now much more readily available,” she said. “So it does become striking a balance of, at what point do we have mitigations, and at what point do we need to recognize an individual's take on the role of protecting themselves and their communities?”
“Right now, I think we're in a different scenario than we were last year. Even for vaccinations, people were calling us asking us, ‘Did you get the vaccine yet?’ and now we have so much more availability, so it's a different landscape. I personally hope that we don't see severe mitigation levels again, but that's on us. That's us wearing our masks, getting tested if we're sick, socially distancing, and getting our vaccines.”
