Peoria's top public health expert says it's time to lift Illinois' indoor mask mandates.
During a Thursday news briefing, Peoria City-County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson said she agreed with Gov. JB Pritzker's decision to lift the statewide mandate.
The mandate expires on Monday.
"This is the right decision to do with our current metrics," Hendrickson said. "We have been monitoring for awhile, in fact, over two years. I say this because ... we've been in a similar situation, whether it was last summer, or other points in the pandemic."
Citing positive trends in local data, Hendrickson said it's time to start thinking of COVID-19 as an "endemic," rather than a pandemic.
The Tri-County's seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases is currently 78; two weeks ago, the average was 162 new daily cases.
Hospitals across the Tri-County currently have 10 ICU beds in use. The most recent seven-day rolling average for Tri-County ICU capacity was 13 beds per day; two weeks ago, the average was 28 beds per day.
Hendrickson said the public may be asked to mask up again if another COVID-19 surge unfolds, or a new variant is introduced.
"At that point in time, we will be using data to make decisions," she said. "Part of living with COVID is recognizing that we need to use data to pivot between mitigation, and our community accepting that it will be our truth, or our new normal, moving forward as we continue to coexist with this virus. ... Pivoting is now our favorite word."
ICU capacity and hospitalizations, as well as vaccination rates, will be the most important data points in decision-making moving forward, said Hendrickson, adding it's still a good idea to mask inside waiting rooms in doctors' offices and congregate settings such as nursing homes.
She also urged "vulnerable" residents to continue to mask, and for members of the public to "respect" those individuals' decisions.
Moving forward, Hendrickson said anyone feeling ill should continue to get tested. She also encouraged unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated to limit future transmission of the virus.
"The virus is smart," she said. "It can mutate and change. ... (But) the landscape has also changed, as well."
The Peoria Civic Center will continue offering free COVID-19 testing three days a week: from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Also, this weekend is the last opportunity to get a Saturday or Sunday vaccine at the health department's walk-in clinic.
Vaccinations also will soon be available for children under 5 years old, Hendrickson said. While the virus will likely continue mutating, it’s too early to tell if a fourth booster will be recommended, she added.
Thursday's briefing was the last regularly scheduled COVID-19 news media event.
On March 1, the Tri-County will no longer report daily COVID-19 data; the public will be directed to the Illinois Department of Public Health for the numbers.
Watch a video of Hendrickson's entire remarks here.
By the numbers
As of Thursday:
- Peoria County had 342 active COVID cases (14 hospitalized, 328 in home isolation)
- Woodford County had 104 active cases (three hospitalized, 101 in home isolation)
- The Tri-County death toll was at 1,115 fatalities since the start of the pandemic
- 16 COVID-related deaths were added in the past seven days (Woodford County added five deaths in one day earlier this week due to a reporting backlog.)
- The Tri-County's total case count since start of the pandemic is 91,996; an increase of 543 from a week ago.
- 57.63% of Tri-County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19; 61.37% have had at least one shot.
Joe Deacon contributed to this report.
