Peoria, IL, USA 104.9 The Wolf
1470-100.3 WMBD/Kristina Leahy
PEORIA, Ill. Area health officials continually emphasized patience regarding COVID-19 vaccinations during the Peoria City/County Health Department’s weekly COVID-19 news conference on Thursday.
“The keys for vaccination at UnityPoint Health is number one, we are going to call you,” said Dr. Samer Sader, Chief Medical Officer at UnityPoint Health. “Wait for our phone call when we call you.
“If you miss it, just call us back. We will get you on the line to get vaccinated. The supply of vaccine is short, so don’t come if we don’t call you. It’s not an open window or a walk-in clinic.”
PEORIA COVID-19 vaccinations began this week for folks in the 1B category, and a large number of area seniors has been lucky enough to get the call.
Last week, when area health officials announced a don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you policy for vaccinations, it was disconcerting news for many residents. After all, how would health officials know who to get hold of and how to reach them?
But as the system was put into action this week, a number of people were happy to see that it is working.
“It was like a phone call out of the blue,” said 75-year-old Peoria resident Pat Goitein on Wednesday. “They called on Monday, and within 24 hours I was vaccinated.”
Midwest Communications
PEORIA, Ill. Region Two of Illinois has been looking forward to a return in the near future to phase four of Restore Illinois from tier three COVID-19 mitigation, but those plans on Friday encountered a minor speed bump.
The region’s rolling seven-day positivity rate, which needs to be less than or equal to 6.5% for three consecutive days, ticked slightly upwards to 6.7%, after sitting the two previous days at 6.6%.
The other two metrics the region must meet, which concern the number of patients in the hospital and intensive care unit bed availability, continued to meet their needed marks.
Joe Deacon / WCBU
With nine new fatalities announced Wednesday, the Tri-County area has moved to the brink of reaching 500 deaths linked to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
However, active cases in the region declined by nearly 300 in the past day, with 2,439 residents in home isolation and 90 coronavirus patients in Peoria-area hospitals, including 27 in intensive care units. Total infections increased by 148, to 30,488 since mid-March.
Five of the most recent victims were from Peoria County; they included a man and a woman both in their 50s, and three people from long-term care facilities. All four Tazewell County victims were at least 60, including a woman in her 90s from Washington Senior Living. The region’s death toll stands at 498.