Author Archives: Rick Hirschmann
State COVID roundup 12/23: bed usage slightly up
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported 6,762 new cases of COVID-19 since Tuesday throughout Illinois, as well as 135 additional deaths. Illinois laboratori...
Dec 23, 2020 Midwest Communications
State COVID roundup 12/18: 112k tested
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The statewide COVID-19 rolling seven-day positivity rate fell between Thursday and Friday to an even 8%. 112,292 people during the period got tested, as 7,377 people received posi...
Dec 18, 2020 Midwest Communications
Tony Award winning actor helping Peoria Players Theatre
PEORIA, Ill. -- Add this to the list of reasons why 2020 can be considered one long episode of "The Twilight Zone:" Ebenezer Scrooge is being generous this holiday season. As music and theatre enthusi...
Dec 18, 2020 Midwest Communications
Pence, wife Karen, get COVID-19 vaccine injections
WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe. "The American people can be confident: w...
Dec 18, 2020 Midwest Communications
U.S. FDA advisory panel sets stage for Moderna vaccine authorization
(Reuters) - A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday overwhelmingly endorsed emergency use of Moderna Inc's coronavirus vaccine, virtually assuring a second opt...
Dec 17, 2020 REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration
Local COVID roundup 12/17: 4 Tazewell deaths
PEORIA, Ill. -- The tri-county's hospital bed capacity between Wednesday and Thursday increased significantly. While 237 COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday afternoon were occupying beds, that number sh...
Dec 17, 2020 Midwest Communications
State COVID roundup 12/17: vent use down, but more patients in ICUs
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Ventilator use by COVID-19 patients throughout Illinois as of Wednesday night decreased while intensive care unit bed occupancy increased. The Illinois Department of Public Health...
Dec 17, 2020 Midwest Communications
U.S. weekly jobless claims increase further
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly increased last week as a relentless surge in new COVID-19 infections hobbled business operatio...
Dec 17, 2020 REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Local COVID roundup 12/16: hospital bed use increases by almost 60
PEORIA, Ill. -- A combined nine residents of Peoria, Woodford, and Tazewell Counties passed away between Tuesday and Wednesday from COVID-19 complications. In Peoria County, a man in his 50s, two men ...
Dec 16, 2020 Midwest Communications
State COVID roundup 12/16: testing milestone surpassed
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The number of COVID-19 tests given throughout Illinois has surpassed 12 million. With the 93,278 specimens collected between Tuesday and Wednesday by labs across the state, the st...
Dec 16, 2020 Midwest Communications
