LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Health Department advises anyone who participated in the dart tournament at the Depot Tap from 5-9 p.m. on Oct. 3, to monitor for symptoms due to potential exposure to COVID-19. If you develop symptoms, self isolate and consider getting tested. Call the health department at 815-284-3371 for more info.

The health department reported on Sept. 30, that Lee County will be placed on the warning list by the Illinois Department of Public Health next week due to new case rates and test positivity rates that exceed the state target-see attached. Lee County has a population of 34,223. For week 39, Sept. 20-26, Lee County saw a new test positivity rate of 9.4 percent. 

Positive Tests

Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 5, the Lee County Health Department has reported  a total of 60 new cases have been reported and here are the ages that were announced: 2 under age 10, 2 under age 14, 3 in his or her teens, 14 in his or her 20s, 5 in his or her 30s, 8 in his or her 40s, 13 in his or her 50s, 8 in his or her 60s, 2 in his or her 70s, and 3 in his or her 80s. One of the cases is a resident of the Jack Mabley Center.

This brings the total number of cases to 434 as of Oct. 5. Of the 434 cases, 327 have recovered. Currently, there are two residents hospitalized due to COVID-19. 

The Unified Command Team would like to remind our community that COVID-19 remains in our area and continues to be a real threat. Some people who have tested positive have had no symptoms or mild symptoms. Others have felt miserable or even been hospitalized.  Although there are individuals considered at a higher risk for complications due to COVID-19, some otherwise healthy people have also become very sick.  The more the virus spreads & the more cases we have locally, the risk of very ill or hospitalized individuals increases.

Please, for yourself and others, follow the state and federal recommendations.  It’s easy to remember as the 3 W’s:  Wash your hands; Watch your distance; and Wear your mask. 

Also, we’d like to mention the process of contact tracing. If your local health department tries to contact you, please answer or return their call. Some people may feel distrustful or afraid of the term “contact tracing.” This is actually a strategy used for many years in public health to reduce the spread of infectious disease. Contact tracing is a critical piece of our mitigation efforts against COVID-19. More information can be found at this link:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/contact-tracing.html 

What to do if you think you have or have 

been exposed to COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals with symptoms SHOULD NOT GO to health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and urgent care centers without CALLING FIRST. Instead, they can seek care by using one of the following options:

Testing:

Anyone with COVID-19 like symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, chills, sudden loss of taste and or smell and fever) OR who have a risk factor, such as contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, a compromised immune system or a serious chronic medical condition can get a test, even without a doctor’s order. And now the following people can be tested with or without symptoms.  

• Work in health care facility

• Work in correctional facilities, such as jails or prisons

• Serve as first responders, such as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, or firefighters

• Support critical infrastructure , such as workers in grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, gas stations, public utilities, factories, childcare and sanitation. 

Call the KSB Hotline Monday-Friday, 9-5 at 285-7777 to determine eligibility for testing.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

Go to KSB, LCHD, IDPH, or CDC websites.  Lee County Health Department provides regular updates on its Facebook page.

• https://www.ksbhospital.com/coronavirus-outbreak-covid-19/

• http://www.lchd.com 

• http://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-conditions/diseases-a-z-list/coronavirus 

• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html 

• For businesses: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html

• Facebook: Lee County IL Health Department