COVID and Health Updates

The News-Gazette had an update on COVID cases in Champaign County this past weekend here. Regular updates on COVID cases and vaccinations is available at the Public Health website here. In today's paper, the News-Gazette noted that roughly a third of Champaign County residents have received vaccine boosters:

About onethird of Champaign County adults eligible for COVID-19 booster shots have received them.

As of Friday, 36,913 booster shots had been given, which is 33.6 percent of Champaign County’s fully vaccinated residents 18 and older, according to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Deputy Administrator Awais Vaid. About 110,000 Champaign County residents 18 and older have been fully vaccinated and have been urged to get booster shots at least six months past their second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shots or at least two months after the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

That article is available on the eEdition here. WGPU also had updates on their audio segment here.

COVID vaccine clinics for children have begun in the area after recent FDA approval. From WAND:

After the CDC approved the COVID-19 vaccine for children in the 5-11 age range earlier this week, health departments like Champaign-Urbana started making appointments available for the community.

Deputy Administrator for the Champaign Urbana Public Health District Awais Vaid said leaders are excited to see a vulnerable population now able to protect themselves.

"Until now, you know, the big group was the kids who were not eligible. We are really happy right now that the (5-11 age range is) eligible for it," Vaid said. "That means about 16,000 kids in Champaign County become eligible immediately. So we hope that people get these vaccines as soon as possible so that the transmission that we are seeing a lot in the kids right now, we will start to see a decline in that going forward."

That full article here. WCCU had a listing of area vaccine clinics with links to additional information here. WAND also pointed out some concern last month about a rise in local youth cases:

In a concerning trend, Champaign County health officials are seeing a COVID-19 case surge in mostly unvaccinated school children and teens. 

Data shows 90 percent of cases among those in the 12 to 17 age range are among people who didn't get their shot. Health officials said the virus is spreading quickly in schools. 

The epidemiologist for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District said vaccines are crucial to prevent hospitalizations...

CUPHD said it has seen a good turnout for kids to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but it hasn't been enough. 

That full blurb here. A more recent WCCU article highlighted eligible child vaccination rates locally over 15%. In another article WCCU noted that health officials were monitoring ICU bed availability with some concern last month:

As regions across Illinois respond to rising cases of COVID-19, hospitals say they’re on the lookout when it comes to intensive care unit (ICU) bed availability...

Recent data as of November 15 from the Illinois Department of Public Health shows 31 percent of ICU beds are available in Region three which covers Sangamon County. But availability in Region 6 which covers Champaign is at 16 percent.

It’s a concern that other health officials have especially as the holidays approach. 

That full article here.

Other local health news and articles:

• UIUC campus update on COVID last month from Illinois Newsroom.
• UIUC is recommending booster shots, but it is not currently requiring booster documentation as part of its vaccine requirements, according to WCIA.
• Smile Politely had an interview on "Blueprint," a program to increase access to mental health care locally.
• A Smile Politely opinion piece on gender diverse health care and issues of transgender health care needs locally. Regardless of one's own views on these issues, this piece highlighted certain aspects of our local health care system that may come up in future policy and political discussions.