COVID-19 testing data shows high recovery rate, weekly increase in testing

By the end of June Champaign County had conducted more than 33,000 COVID-19 tests, according to data from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. A review of the data saw the number of daily tests increasing dramatically while showing that Champaign County has had a relatively low positive rate (2.5%) with 723 cases out of 29508 tests (May to June). It also showed a high “recovered” rate, but the term “recovered’ can be misleading. In Illinois, the definition of recovered means that an infected person has not died within 42 days of being diagnosed. The rate was 93 percent (May to June).

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C-U Health District focusing on prevention efforts, contact tracing in Phase Four

Julie Pryde, administrator for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said the state will continue in Phase Four now until the pandemic ends, meaning masks and six-feet social distancing are still recommended and required in public spaces. The health district is in the process of hiring more contact tracers, for example. About 30 contact tracers work there now to track the persons with whom an infected person has had potential contact with.

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Champaign-Urbana Public Health District warns of foodborne outbreak

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) notified the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) of a "multi-state outbreak" of an intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis. According to the press release, it is believed that the outbreak to be linked to packaged garden salad, and there are six cases of the illness in Champaign County as of July 1. Fresh Express issued a recall for the products on June 27, 2020. The recalled food products were made in a production facility in Streamwood, Illinois. This factory was also linked to over 500 cases in 2018, and infections were traced to McDonald's restaurants in several states.

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Meat and shopping: One more impact of the coronavirus on ordinary life

It began in mid-March when the new coronavirus became part of ordinary American life with shortages of household products like hand sanitizer, toilet paper and paper towels. Now, as May has turned to June, scarcity – and the fear of it -- is all about the meat. As of June 6, there have been at least 20,400 reported positive cases tied to meatpacking facilities in at least 216 plants in 33 states, and at least 74 reported worker deaths, according to a Midwest Center analysis.

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Virus outbreaks hit businesses throughout county

Twenty-six outbreaks have been recorded across several facilities and businesses in the county as of June 8, according to Julie Pryde, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District administrator. The health district has recorded 30 total outbreaks, including those at the Rantoul Foods meat processing plant, an outdoor equipment manufacturing plant and two nursing homes, University Rehabilitation Center and Meadowbrook Health Center.

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Processing plant hit with Covid-19 under scrutiny since March

Public health officials said they visited Rantoul Foods - which had 47 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of May 5 - on April 27th after receiving reports of Covid-19 cases among company employees. “All of this was completely preventable,” Pryde said in an interview Tuesday, noting had the plant taken action earlier.

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Read more about the article Health inspectors fail 10 food spots, close six since May
KFC & A&W, 1321 N Dunlap Ave., Champaign The health department closed the restaurant Aug. 22 due to “gross unsanitary conditions” during its routine inspection. No details were provided in the report. On Thursday, November 29, 2018. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Health inspectors fail 10 food spots, close six since May

From May 1 to Oct. 31, 2018 public health officials temporarily closed or failed 16 restaurants, eateries and cafes, according to a review of inspection records from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. Inspectors failed eight restaurants between Jan. 1, 2018 and April 30, 2018.

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Read more about the article Volunteer East Lawn cemetery lacks city, county supportDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
The East Lawn Burial Park in Urbana on December 1.

Volunteer East Lawn cemetery lacks city, county support

It’s not always easy for a local cemetery to stay alive. Gravesites need to be maintained, bills need to be paid, and revenue relies solely on death. Every active cemetery deals with difficulties, but for a board of less than 10 retirees, maintaining East Lawn Burial Park in Urbana is a grave concern.

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Read more about the article Inspectors fail 16 food establishments from June to SeptemberDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Bacaro at 113 N. Walnut St. in Champaign failed its routine health inspection on September 15.

Inspectors fail 16 food establishments from June to September

Altogether, from June 1 to September 30, 16 food establishments were closed or failed inspections for health code violations, according to a review of inspection records by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

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