 announced Friday that the CDC is reporting 20 counties in the state are at a Medium Community Level for COVID-19, compared to 19 last week.){kind=link}
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced Friday that the CDC is reporting 20 counties in the state are at a Medium Community Level for COVID-19, compared to 19 last week.
There were no counties listed at High Community Level for the second straight week.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra also announced that SIU Medicine in partnership with IDPH is offering a new telehealth test to treat service for COVID-19. The service is aimed at providing faster and easier access to treatment for Illinoisans who contract COVID-19. Those who test positive are encouraged to call 217-545-5100 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays to schedule a telehealth appointment to determine if medical treatment is recommended. Appointments will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
IDPH has recorded a total of 4,062,200 cases and 36,334 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The department is reporting 11,248 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois in the week ending February 19, and 37 deaths.
“We are happy to report that COVID-19 community levels continue to remain stable this week,” Director Vohra said. “However, we know that the virus is still circulating with the potential to cause serious illness, especially to those most at-risk. It is critical for those individuals to have quick and easy access to medical providers to determine if COVID-19 treatment is recommended. We are grateful to offer this new telehealth test to treat service to help protect our residents across Illinois.”
Options for obtaining tests and treatments can also be found at the following test to treat site or by contacting your provider for treatment options, within 5 days of feeling ill.
Free or low cost COVID-19 testing locations are also available throughout the state, including in Chicago, and can be found on the IDPH website’s testing locator page.
IDPH has been supporting pharmacies and healthcare providers in efforts to increase their inventories of the various FDA-authorized treatments. There are over 1,200 treatment locations in Illinois – including all the major retail pharmacies. More than 96.7% of the state’s population is within a 10-mile radius of one of these locations.