Tri-County public health officials on Wednesday reported 11 more deaths linked to COVID-19, marking the largest single-day increase in nearly a year.
Nine of the deaths were reported in Peoria County, with the other two in Woodford County. The region’s death toll from the pandemic now stands at 945 people.
The last time the Tri-County saw a larger one-day increase in reported deaths was Jan. 8, 2021, with 13. COVID-related deaths are not always reported on the day they occur; it can take days or sometimes weeks for health departments to be notified of an official cause of death.
Meanwhile, the number of Peoria County residents hospitalized with COVID-19 fell by more than half since Tuesday — to 51, down from 106 — while home isolations climbed above 3,200. Across the entire region, 4,583 people are currently isolating at home.
The three counties totaled 882 new infections since Tuesday, bringing the area’s case count since March 2020 to 72,668. According to the latest figures from the Illinois Department of Public Health, 55.3% of Tri-County residents are fully vaccinated and 59.4% have received at least one dose.
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