Whiteside County sees its highest COVID case total all year
by: Jonathan Turner
The Whiteside County Health Department reported its highest COVID case count for all of 2021 on Monday, Dec. 27, with 119 new cases since Dec. 23.
It's now had 10,337 total COVID cases, and 195 deaths (none were reported Monday). While 27,022 residents of the county are fully vaccinated against the virus, that represents just 48.7 percent of the population, according to the health department.
Nationally, there were 243,099 new COVID cases, a 105 percent increase over two weeks ago, and the highest single-day total since Jan. 13, 2021, when there were 246,706 cases. In Illinois, Dec. 27 also was the state's single highest COVID case total of 2021, with 14,411 — a 100 percent increase over the past two wees. Illinois also has seen 30,747 total COVID deaths.
Whiteside County Health Department is open as a Drive-Up Community Testing Site with SHIELD IL to help support local testing partners. Testing will be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Testing will be open to anyone byappointment only.
WCHD Community SHIELD Testing Overview:
• Individuals will need a SHIELD Illinois Account to schedule an appointment and view results. A parent or guardian will need to create their own account and add a dependent to test individuals under 18.
• Visit shieldilportal.pointnclick.com to create an account to make an appointment. WCHD's Agency Code is: df5brbrj
• Individuals may not have anything to eat, drink, or smoke within 60 minutes of the test. Brushing your teeth or using mouthwash should also be avoided for at least 60 minutes before the test.
• Individuals tested before 1pm should get results that night. Results for anyone tested after 1pm should be next night.
• To reach the testing tent, enter the north-most parking lot and follow the cones.
• Results will ONLY be available in your SHIELD Illinois Account. Please do not call for results.
For additional support, call the SHIELD Illinois Patient Support line at 217-265-6059 for assistance setting up an account, making appointments, or viewing results.
Additional testing sites may be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/testing.html . You can find your nearest COVID vaccine at vaccines.gov.
Police: Suspect entered hotel room, stole phone, cash and purse while victim slept