Knox County has seen the biggest weekend surge in new Coronavirus cases as of yet.
The Knox County Health Department announced 297 new cases on Tuesday that were reported between Friday, November 20, and Monday, November 23. This brings the number of new cases in the last week to 462. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 2,677 positive cases in the county.
Cases include:
- 5 Females <10
- 4 Males <10
- 11 Females 10s
- 11 Males 10s
- 18 Females 20s
- 24 Males 20s
- 22 Females 30s
- 13 Males 30s
- 22 Females 40s
- 15 Males 40s
- 25 Females 50s
- 14 Males 50s
- 23 Females 60s
- 15 Males 60s
- 22 Females 70s
- 11 Males 70s
- 22 Females 80s
- 7 Male 80s
- 9 Female 90s
- 4 Males 90s
To reduce the risk of additional transmission, local public health officials are trying to identify and actively monitor anyone who would have been in direct contact with these individuals.
“This virus continues to put many at extreme risk of severe health impacts, significant financial hardship, or both,” says Erin Olson, Public Information Officer for the health department. “Please keep your loved ones, friends, neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances, and those you have not yet met as your top priorities. That means wearing a face covering, limiting your trips to only necessary outings, socially distancing, washing your hands frequently, and supporting your local businesses by shopping local, using curbside or takeout and online options.”
The health department, in conjunction with the State of Illinois, is holding a free COVID-19 testing event over the weekend on November 28 and 29 from 8:00 am to 4 pm at the Knox County Fairgrounds. Testing will be available to all residents of Illinois.
“We are all in this together and it will take our collective efforts. The holidays are a time for giving and putting others first. The Knox County community has been doing just this and will rally again in a time of even greater need,” says Olson.