Tracking the Curve: Daily updates on local COVID-19 developments
(KWQC) - TV6 will update this story daily as new information becomes available locally, nationally, and internationally.
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Public Health Thursday reported 891 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 42 additional deaths.
IDPH is reporting a total of 1,379,279 cases and 22,718 deaths since the pandemic began. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests 1.9%, while the preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity is 2.5%.
As of Wednesday night, 1,316 people were reportedly hospitalized with the virus. Of those, 339 were in the intensive care unit and 186 were on ventilators.
| County | New Cases (Since Wednesday) | Total Cases | Cases Per 100k | Seven-Day Positivity Rate | Total Recovered | New Deaths (Since Wednesday) | Total Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Daviess | 1 | 1,813 | 8,485 | 2% | 1,754 | 0 | 29 |
| Carroll | 0 | 1,688 | 11,794 | 3% | 1,650 | 0 | 37 |
| Whiteside | 1 | 7,269 | 13,068 | 0.9% | 7,063 | 0 | 172 |
| Rock Island | 0 | 14,900 | 10,385 | 3.8% | N/A | 0 | 324 |
| Henry | 0 | 5,042 | 10,271 | 2.8% | 4,966 | 0 | 64 |
| Mercer | 0 | 1,484 | 9,512 | 5.7% | N/A | 0 | 35 |
| Henderson | 0 | 526 | 7,840 | 0% | 517 | 0 | 14 |
| Warren | 0 | 1,783 | 10,469 | 2.3% | 1,721 | 0 | 49 |
| McDonough | 0 | 2,870 | 9,581 | 5.6% | 2,782 | 0 | 60 |
| Knox | 0 | 5,655 | 11,285 | 2.2% | N/A | 0 | 150 |
| Stark | 0 | 643 | 11,848 | 1.4% | 628 | 0 | 24 |
| Bureau | 0 | 3,704 | 11,227 | 3.4% | N/A | 0 | 77 |
Visit the state of Illinois’ website for more data.
Note: Health departments in the Illinois TV6 viewing area release new cases and deaths at different times during the day. Some health departments do not release new cases on a daily basis.
Iowa
Iowa officials reported 132 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths between 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the state’s coronavirus website.
Since the pandemic began, 371,133 people have tested positive for the virus and 6,044 people have died.
As of 10:30 a.m. Thursday:
- 14-day/7-day positivity rate: 2.7%/2.4%
- Individuals tested: 1,757,752
- Individuals hospitalized: 120, no change from Wednesday
- Individuals in ICU: 23, one less than Wednesday
- Individuals on ventilator: 16
| County | New Cases (Since Wednesday) | Total Individuals Testing Positive | Cases Per 100k | 14-Day/7-Day Positivity Rates (%) | Recovered | New Deaths (Since Wednesday) | Total Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott | 9 | 20,200 | 11,680 | 3.2/2.3 | 19,362 | 1 | 244 |
| Muscatine | 6 | 4,853 | 11,375 | 4/2.2 | 4,626 | 1 | 104 |
| Clinton | 4 | 5,593 | 12,046 | 2.7/1.4 | 5,386 | 0 | 93 |
| Des Moines | 2 | 4,635 | 11,895 | 5.3/3.7 | 4,433 | 0 | 67 |
| Lee | 2 | 3,789 | 11,258 | 3.2/4.3 | 3,668 | 0 | 55 |
| Henry | 0 | 2,934 | 14,704 | 1.8/0.4 | 2,857 | 0 | 37 |
| Jackson | 1 | 2,244 | 11,544 | 5.7/9.3 | 2,162 | 0 | 42 |
| Cedar | 3 | 1,912 | 10,265 | 3/3.7 | 1,844 | 0 | 23 |
| Louisa | 4 | 1,292 | 11,708 | 5/4.4 | 1,232 | 0 | 49 |
Visit the state of Iowa’s coronavirus website for more data. The data is updated in real-time.
You can call 211 with any of your questions regarding COVID-19 in Iowa.
Hospitalizations
CDC guidelines
- <a href="https://cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html">How you can protect yourself</a>
Social distancing and flattening the curve
Social distancing
Social distancing is a term we never used to hear, but now we may hear every day with good reason. To lessen the spread of COVID-19, it's recommended you stay at least 6 feet away from someone else. This way, it's less likely you can catch the virus from someone else.
Flattening the curve
If you look at a chart that shows “flattening the curve” you’ll be able to see a tall or steep curve on the left. That indicates a virus is spiking or spreading rapidly. But the more we isolate from each other or practice social distancing, the fewer people become infected, so the curve becomes much lower or “flattened.” This will also help to ensure hospitals have enough equipment for patients since there will be fewer people infected in at once.
TV6 spoke with Augustana College's epidemiologist Rebecca Heick who says we're doing much better in recent days with social distancing, but not everyone seems to be taking it seriously. She feels that will continue to improve and stresses that the more of us who do it, the fewer who will become ill. Heick says one of the big problems in the Quad Cities right now, like many other places across the country, is the fact that we don't have enough COVID-19 tests here locally to test people for the virus. There's no way to know how widespread it is. Therefore, it's best to go ahead and assume you do have it and act accordingly to protect everyone around you. Heick says we're probably going to continue to see the numbers rise in the QCA, but if we keep social distancing each of us can make a difference and help flatten the curve.
Symptoms
- The CDC asks that you watch for shortness of breath, a fever, and a cough. View more on symptoms.
- Self checker: Click here for a guide to help you make decisions and seek appropriate medical care.
Related links
TV6 News special: COVID-19 Q&A: TV6 aired a COVID-19 Q&A special where we sat down with experts to ask your questions regarding COVID-19. You can find more on that series here.
Live map of global COVID-19 cases as well as a nation-wide county breakdown: Click here to view a live map of the cases of COVID-19 globally.
InvestigateTV consumer news: Click here to view consumer stories involving COVID-19. This includes how small business owners are tackling obstacles trying to get stimulus loans, robocalls advertising fake COVID-19-related products, and more.
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