COVID-19
CHICAGO — After being notified of several close contacts testing positive for COVID-19, Gov. Pritzker received a positive test result during his routine COVID testing regimen. The Governor is experiencing mild symptoms and has been prescribed the anti-viral medication, Paxlovid. He will follow CDC guidelines by working from home. The Governor is fully vaccinated and…
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QUINCY — The Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases among its veterans and staff. Based on rapid testing and the support of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) laboratories, the Department identified 16 residents and 10 staff positive for COVID-19. Most of the positive residents are presenting with…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — A memorial service for lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic is set for 2 p.m. Sunday at United Methodist Church, 104 W. Wood. People interested in attending should contact Pastor Patty Johansen at Vermont Street United Methodist Church at pastor@vsumc.org or 217-222-7468 to give names of friends or family to be…
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Hospitals in Missouri and around the country are facing a new crisis. COVID-19 patient surges amid profound staffing shortages, fueled by the hyper-transmissible Omicron variant, are overwhelming healthcare providers. Hannibal Regional remains firmly committed to our community for all their healthcare needs, as we have done since the beginning of the pandemic nearly two years…
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SPRINGFIELD – A continuing sharp spike in COVID-19 cases being driven by the omicron variant has pushed the state’s hospital capacity to its limits and is prompting the state to bring in additional health care workers from other states and countries. Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that more than 2,000 additional health care workers have…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Erica Smith has been juggling several balls this week. The growing number of teachers and staff members who haven’t come to work in the Camp Point Community Unit School District No. 3 have forced Smith, the district’s superintendent, to fill in as needed. “I’ve done everything,” Smith said Wednesday. “I’ve driven…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday that the state had recorded 201,428 new cases of COVID-19 over the previous week, a 57 percent increase over the previous week, while the weekly number of deaths rose 15 percent, to 444 as the omicron variant of the virus continues to spread. Those cases…
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The Illinois General Assembly begins a new session Jan. 5, but it is not expected to last long. They may have a new state budget and wrap up almost two months early. Illinois state legislators head back to Springfield Jan. 5 for what is expected to be the shortest legislative session in decades. The holiday…
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Chicagoans will be required to provide proof of vaccination and a photo ID before entering restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues in the city starting Jan. 3, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has decreed. Office buildings, airports and churches are exempt. Those with a religious exemption can provide a negative test, but the test option was not offered to those…
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Missouri’s two largest counties will continue their efforts to overturn a court ruling that severely limits the powers of local health departments at the same time health officials warn the omicron variant will bring thousands of new COVID-19 cases. Missouri reported almost 10,000 new coronavirus infections Monday, making December the second-worst month of the pandemic this year.…
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Gov. J.B Pritzker said Illinois will need to show a steady decline in state COVID-19 transmissions before he considers lifting the statewide indoor mask mandate he revived in August. When asked what metrics were needed for Pritzker to rescind his executive order, the governor pointed to high hospitalization rates and new case numbers relative to metrics when Illinois “fully…
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Missouri students and teachers identified as being exposed to a coronavirus case in school may now be permitted to remain in class if they continue to test negative for the virus and properly wear a mask. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) updated its school reopening guidance Friday to include the new “test to stay”…
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SPRINGFIELD – The state’s moratorium on enforcement of residential evictions will expire on Oct. 3, according to Gov. JB Pritzker’s latest COVID-19 executive order issued Friday. Pritzker had extended the order each month with minor to substantial revisions since March 2020. The extensions have come in 30-day windows, coinciding with his monthly reissuance of a disaster proclamation…
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QUINCY — Recent increases in demand for COVID-19 testing, as well as less stable allocation of testing supplies, have forced the Adams County Health Department’s COVID-19 testing center to now only serve residents of Adams County, Illinois. This change begins Monday. Residents of the county who want to be tested for COVID-19 should bring a…
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Missouri pediatricians recently teamed with the Missouri Foundation for Health to launch a campaign that aims to protect kids from COVID-19 by increasing adult vaccinations throughout the state. The physicians are sounding the alarm as pediatric COVID cases continue to surge throughout Missouri and much of the country. The CDC reports unvaccinated adults and teens put…
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The opening of the school year for Catholic schools in the Illinois Quad-Cities has been pushed back because of the extent of COVID-19’s presence in Rock Island County. The decision was made by the Office of Catholic Schools for the Peoria Diocese after consultation with the Rock Island County Public Health Department and the principals…
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SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t directly say Monday whether he would extend the state’s eviction moratorium for those facing hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the virus continue to rise. “We’ve looked at that. We continue to look at it. We’ll make a decision about that soon,” Pritzker…
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By RUDI KELLER, Missouri Independent Missouri is seeing the first signs that the Delta variant surge may have crested, though many areas are still suffer from rising COVID-19 case numbers while hospitalizations hit new highs for the summer. On Wednesday, the seven-day average of COVID-19 cases reported by the Department of Health and Senior Services declined week-over-week…
Read Full Article Hannibal Regional is always here for you. When you need healthcare services, when you are rushed to the ER with a heart attack, when you need surgery, when your little one has strep throat … we are here. We will continue to be here. We will continue doing everything we possibly can to serve all…
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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said starting Sept. 1, Secretary of State employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to submit to repeated COVID-19 testing. “As the pandemic continues to surge nationally, we must do all we can to maintain the safety of our customers and employees and this is…
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CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that masks will be required for students, teachers and staff at pre-K through 12th grade schools and day cares across Illinois, regardless of vaccination status. The new requirement formalizes the CDC guidance released in July on universal masking for both unvaccinated and vaccinated people in schools. The mask…
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The desire to blame folks for things is a very powerful urge. Typically blame comes when folks are frustrated or scared or when they have an agenda. Then they feel the urge to stretch blame to highly illogical places. COVID has been so all-encompassing for people. After a year and a half, any sane person…
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From USA Today Some people in Missouri are dressing in disguise and begging doctors to not publicly reveal they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, a doctor said. Priscilla Frase, Ozarks Healthcare hospitalist, said patients voiced concerns on how their family members, friends and co-workers would react if they got vaccinated. “Nobody should have to feel that…
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By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The state will have new COVID-19 guidance on face coverings after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Tuesday to reflect that even individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear masks while indoors in areas of the country where the virus is surging. CDC officials…
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by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO OSAGE BEACH, Mo.—The petite blonde bartender in ripped jean shorts bounced to each side of a square-shaped bar as women in bikinis and shirtless men lined up on a sweltering afternoon to order Bud Light, vodka and soda, and piles of nachos at this dockside retreat in the Lake of the…
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By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t considering using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay down a multi-billion-dollar Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit, and he’s watching the state’s COVID-19 hospitalization numbers closely. Those were two of the topics discussed during a 10-minute interview with Capitol News Illinois on Wednesday…
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QUINCY — Superintendent Roy Webb released Tuesday afternoon on social media the proposed COVID-19 guidelines for the 2021-22 school year that will the Quincy School Board will vote on during its July meeting on Wednesday night. The proposal, which Webb posted on his personal Facebook page, “highly recommends” masks in indoor settings for unvaccinated people. …
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QUINCY – The Adams County Health Department and local healthcare officials are keeping an eye on COVID-19 rates as they begin to rise in Adams County. Dr. Chris Solaro, chief of medicine for Blessing Health System, and Jarrod Welch of the Adams County Health Department addressed members of the community Monday morning on a Zoom…
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QUINCY — As local healthcare officials keep an eye on COVID-19 rates as they begin to rise in Adams County, Blessing Health System is reminding people who plan to visit a hospitalized COVID-19 patient to have their COVID vaccination card with them, or they won’t be allowed to visit. This policy has been in effect…
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By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The state’s higher education agencies released updated COVID-19 guidance Monday encouraging all public and private higher education institutions in Illinois to issue mandatory vaccine policies. “Vaccination against COVID-19 is now widely available, and all persons over the age of 12 are eligible,” the guidance document reads. “Vaccination is the leading…
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By JERRY NOWICKICapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – The wide availability of COVID-19 vaccines has changed the state’s approach for mitigating the virus’ spread statewide and in schools. For school districts, that means suggested rather than required guidance, with an emphasis on local control in imposing mitigations. For the governor’s office, that means there are “no…
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By TESSA WEINBERGMissouri Independent As a new surge of COVID cases overtakes Missouri, businesses, healthcare providers and houses of worship will soon be shielded from most COVID-related lawsuits under a bill Gov. Mike Parson signed Wednesday. Senate Bill 51, sponsored by Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, provides sweeping protections for businesses unless a high standard of…
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RUSHVILLE – The Illinois Department of Public Health has updated its numbers and now says 85 teens and adult staff at The Crossing’s youth camp near Rushville have tested positive for COVID-19. The camp was held earlier this month. One unvaccinated young adult was hospitalized. Although all campers and staff were eligible for vaccination, IDPH…
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Pritzker’s office didn’t immediately reply when asked Friday if the orders will be extended and did not issue a statement about the reissued orders before the governor’s landing page for executive orders was updated early Friday evening. From The CENTER SQUARE – Gov. J.B. Pritzker Friday extended his COVID-19 executive orders and emergency declarations that were set…
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By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD – Starting Friday, Illinois is in Phase 5 of the COVID-19 reopening plan, meaning businesses and organizations can resume normal activity, although some limited restrictions will remain in place. Under Phase 5 guidelines, capacity limits are being lifted for both indoor and outdoor activities while people who have been fully…
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