COVID-19

Hospitals are facing a capacity crunch just in time for the holidays. That's due to respiratory viruses, but COVID-19 isn't the biggest driver of hospitalizations this winter. Instead, medical officials say an earlier-than-usual onset of RSV, coupled with an influenza wave, are packing emergency departments to capacity.

Updated figures on the Illinois Department of Public Health website show Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties with 20 deaths credited to the pandemic since Oct. 13.

COVID-19 fundamentally changed the way we view and understand the world around us. Post-lockdowns, many industries are grappling with how to regain their footing, especially those who were hit the hardest such as theatres and live performance venues.

Hotel and tourism took a big hit when COVID put a stop to travel in 2020, and Peoria's tourism revenue suffered from the lack of visitors. More than two years later, travel to Peoria and hotel occupancy is trending upward, but numbers are still not meeting pre-pandemic levels.

Dr. Sharjeel Ahmad, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria, discusses what people should know about monkeypox coronavirus mutations.

Statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health show the Tri-County adding 3,494 new COVID-19 cases in the last month, along with 13 fatalities.

About one in five people who contract COVID-19 suffer from new or lingering symptoms of the virus weeks or even months after their initial infection. It's a condition the medical community now calls "long COVID."

Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties are all classified at a high community transmission level for COVID-19. But Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson doesn’t foresee a return to strict measures to reduce the spread.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday that Illinois’ COVID-19 data reporting is changing to align with the CDC’s updated guidelines, which emphasize the case rates and hospitalizations as the most accurate metrics to track the virus.

COVID-19 numbers in the Peoria region are currently at some of the lowest levels seen since the pandemic began.