PEORIA, Ill. – Last week, the Peoria City/County Health Department said it was not a matter of if the COVID-19 Omicron variant would show up here, but a matter of when.
It’s now “when.”
“That 73 percent (of all new COVID-19 cases) across the United States includes Peoria,” said Katy Endress, Director of Epidemiology and Clinical Services. “We have seen cases of Omicron here locally. So, yes, it’s here.”
Endress says the state has increased its ask of local health entities regarding samples of positive COVID tests to increase Omicron surveillance.
The exact number of local Omicron cases, however, is not known.
“What they (the Illinois Department of Public Health) do, is they don’t test every specimen that’s collected,” said Endress. “But, they’ll randomly conduct the genomic sequencing on samples that are sent to the lab from hospitals or laboratories across the state.”
Endress says the same protection measures apply for Omicron: get vaccinated, get a booster if eligible, wear masks, wash hands, and practice social distancing.
As of Monday, Peoria County had 31,571 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, an increase of 443 in 72 hours. There have been 437 deaths, an increase of two over that period.
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