covid-19
Read more about the article COVID-19 hampers food distribution at Eastern Illinois FoodbankNaomi Diaz
Eastern Illinois Foodbank's trucks at its facility in Urbana on North Shore Drive.

COVID-19 hampers food distribution at Eastern Illinois Foodbank

Pre-pandemic, Eastern Illinois Foodbank provided food and grocery products to 100,000 people in 18 different Eastern counties in Illinois. Today, they project the number of those in need to increase by 63,000. The foodbank expects the second wave of COVID-19 will continue to increase the need for “emergency food,” and they are preparing for just that.

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Read more about the article Local sanitary district experiences loss of user payments due to coronavirusUrbana-Champaign Sanitary District
An aerial photo of the Sanitary District from its website.

Local sanitary district experiences loss of user payments due to coronavirus

The Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District has been hit with about a $1 million loss in revenue because of unpaid bills resulting from the district’s suspension of its late fees and water discontinuance policies during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Read more about the article University of Illinois Beckwith Services program continues to leave questions for students with disabilitiesZain Bando
University of Illinois students Avery Schaefer (left) and Zain Bando (right) at the WPGU radio station.

University of Illinois Beckwith Services program continues to leave questions for students with disabilities

The Beckwith Services program at the University of Illinois is known nationwide for being a top-tier resource for students with disabilities to be able to independently attend a university. But with COVID-19 precautions in place, these students have lost the resource this semester and are unsure where they stand as the upcoming Spring semester quickly approaches.

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois Beckwith Services program continues to leave questions for students with disabilities
Read more about the article Public health officials say Champaign County is at a “critical juncture” in the pandemicGoogle Street View
The exterior of Carle Foundation Hospital's emergency department in Urbana during October 2019.

Public health officials say Champaign County is at a “critical juncture” in the pandemic

On Monday, Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department Administrator Julie Pryde, joined by officials from Carle Foundation Hospital and OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, warned that hospitals are approaching capacity. The officials said that Region 6 — which covers 21 counties in east-central Illinois including Champaign County — has only 29% of its Intensive Care Unit capacity and 29% of its hospital bed capacity remaining as virus cases surged.

Continue ReadingPublic health officials say Champaign County is at a “critical juncture” in the pandemic
Read more about the article University building monitoring for COVID-19 lax after shortfall in hiringVivian La
A vacant building monitor desk in the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics in Urbana.

University building monitoring for COVID-19 lax after shortfall in hiring

To get into University of Illinois buildings, students and employees are supposed to show an app saying that they’ve had a recent, clean COVID-19 test. Nearly one-third of the time, however, there’s no one at the door to check their status.

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Read more about the article Carle health system launches COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU occupancy trackerCarle.org
Carle's new dashboard is updated daily with statistics on COVID-19 for the Carle Health System.

Carle health system launches COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU occupancy tracker

Since March, a total of 80 COVID-19 patients have died in the Carle Health System and 511 have been discharged. Carle shares these trends “to inform our region of the reality we’re facing today,” according to the website. “As the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, we continue to meet our community’s healthcare needs whether it’s care for COVID, heart attack, stroke or trauma.”

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Read more about the article COVID-19 Testing Accessibility: Disparities, Barriers and Plans For FutureCU-CitizenAccess
Cars in line at the Marketplace mall COVID-19 testing center in mid-November. When a car reaches the end of the line, a worker guides them through a 20-second, self-administered nasal swab.

COVID-19 Testing Accessibility: Disparities, Barriers and Plans For Future

There has been concern nationally about the ability of people of color to get tested for COVID-19, especially because they have been identified as more vulnerable to the virus. Melaney Arnold, public health information officer at the Illinois Department of Public Health, wrote in an email, “The data show Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.”

Continue ReadingCOVID-19 Testing Accessibility: Disparities, Barriers and Plans For Future
Read more about the article Calculation of COVID-19 positivity rate by university produces lower numbers than state
The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 7-day rolling averages of the COVID-19 test positivity rate for each region of Illinois. Champaign County, home of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is part of region 6 which has experienced 8 days of positivity increases, reaching 12.2% on November 8.

Calculation of COVID-19 positivity rate by university produces lower numbers than state

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s revised calculation of the campus positivity rate of COVID-19 has potentially lowered the rate substantially by reducing the number of reported positive tests. Epidemiologists say the more accurate way to calculate positivity would be to divide unique positive tests by unique total tests, but that information is not always available.

Continue ReadingCalculation of COVID-19 positivity rate by university produces lower numbers than state
Read more about the article South Willis neighborhood creates togetherness in a time of isolationGoogle Street View
The intersection of Green St. and Willis Ave. on Google Street View, last updated in October 2015.

South Willis neighborhood creates togetherness in a time of isolation

With the South Willis area relying heavily on community-centered events and interactions, the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for neighbors to interact and participate in activities like they have in the past. Despite these challenges, they have found a way to come together in an even stronger way during these unprecedented times.

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Read more about the article U of I COVID-19 cases surge as total cases surpass 3,000Pam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

U of I COVID-19 cases surge as total cases surpass 3,000

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has reported 3,421 cases since students began returning to campus on August 15 despite university researchers predicting only 700 Covid-19 cases on campus by Thanksgiving.

Continue ReadingU of I COVID-19 cases surge as total cases surpass 3,000