12-08-2021 5:46am

COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled at Hononegah; omicron reaches Chicago

Michael McGinnis Editor

Hononegah Community High School will be the site of a community vaccination clinic this Friday, December 10, from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m., by appointment only, sponsored by the Winnebago County Health Department. Both flu and COVID-19 vaccines (for anyone age 5 and up) will be available. A clinic is also scheduled at Kinnikinnick Elementary School on Monday, Dec. 13.

Between Tuesday, Nov. 23 and Friday, Dec. 3, Hononegah reported fourteen confirmed COVID cases. The week before, they had no COVID cases. Following the school's standard policy, they were sent home to be isolated until the Winnebago County Health Department has cleared them to return.

The first Illinois case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 was reported yesterday, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. According to the Illinois Department of Health, "The Chicago resident – fully vaccinated with a booster dose – did not require hospitalization, is improving and has been self-isolating since their symptoms began" after being infected by an out-of-state visitor. The omicron variant reached the United States by Dec. 1 or possibly earlier.

Last week, UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital reported more COVID-19 patients than any time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. On Dec. 2, they were treating 105 COVID-19 patients. They said that 90% of these patients had not been vaccinated. Almost 22% were on ventilators in their intensive care unit. For other patients, only one ICU bed was available, and only seven non-ICU adult beds still remained open in the Rockford hospital.

The current positivity rate in Winnebago County for COVID-19 is 10.8% with 53% of the county having been fully vaccinated. The average age has dropped to 34.4 years old, with 643.4 new cases per 100,000 residents.

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