LEE COUNTY — Three weeks ago today, leaders across multiple organizations came together and created the Lee County Unified Executive Leadership Team. On that day, there were 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois and just over 1,600 cases across the United States. As of today, the number of confirmed cases in Illinois has grown from 32 to 8,904. The cases across our country have grown to 266,671. It has never been more important for us to follow the “stay at home” order, practice social distancing, and wash our hands frequently.   

A total of 184 Lee County residents have been tested at KSB Hospital. 54 tests are pending, 130 are negative, 2 are positive, and 6 people remain in quarantine. 16 people were screened today through the KSB drive-thru testing and KSB received 1 negative test result. Test results are taking up to 10 days. The Lee County Health Department and KSB Hospital are working hard on “contact tracing” for both individuals who have tested positive. Appropriate notifications are being made.   

Later this evening, a new video will be released with a more in-depth message from your local leaders. We thank AVP Digital for producing this video for our community. While we practice social distancing, we must intentionally find ways to virtually connect. Make sure to check in on family, friends, and our seniors.      

If you are experiencing symptoms, DO NOT go to the emergency room or your doctor’s office.  Call the KSB Coronavirus Hotline at 815-285-7777 or go to ksbhospital.com and click on “KSB Care Anywhere.”  For complete details see the information at the bottom of this press release.

Feeding the Hungry:

“Feeding The Hungry” has moved from The Living Well Church to the KSB Emergency Department Parking Lot on Tuesday and Thursday’s from 5:00 - 6:00 PM.  St. Anne Church hosts the program on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 - 7:00.  Meals are available to anyone in need with no questions asked.

What to do if you think you have COVID-19: (UPDATED INFORMATION)

During the current Corona Virus outbreak, 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: 

• Use the “KSB Care Anywhere” virtual care app (https://ksbhospital.zipnosis.com/) for a free 5 question screening in order to help differentiate your symptoms between the virus and other seasonal maladies. While a credit card is required for a more involved assessment, no charges will be applied if a COVID-19 testing referral is made.
• KSB is offering a Coronavirus HOTLINE, by which symptoms can be evaluated against federal screening guidelines, and if appropriate, a referral is made to their Drive-Thru Screening site. The screening site is available ONLY through the hotline and between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays by calling 815-285-7777.
• Residents with a Primary Care Practitioner can also CALL their office for advice. Again, CALL FIRST before going to the office.

Residents can go to the following websites for additional information:

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

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

For general questions about COVID-19, call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or 211.