Knox County, IL-The Knox County Health Department (KCHD) is announcing 102 new cases of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), between Tuesday, October 13, 2020 through Thursday, October 15, 2020, bringing the total positive cases to 1022. Due to federal privacy restriction, release of any additional information is prohibited. In every effort to reduce the risk of additional transmission, local public health officials are working to identify and actively monitor individuals who were in direct contact with these individuals.
The new cases include:
● 1 Female<10
● 1 Male <10
● 6 Females 10s
● 8 Males 10s
● 10 Females 20s
● 6 Males 20s
● 10 Females 30s
● 8 Males 30s
● 8 Females 40s
● 3 Males 40s
● 9 Females 50s
● 5 Males 50s
● 4 Females 60s
● 6 Males 60s
● 5 Female 70
● 3 Males 70s
● 4 Females 80s
● 3 Male 80s
● 2 Females 90s
“This increase is significant and is extremely important that residents not forget COVID-19 is very much present in our communities,” said Erin Olson, Public Information Officer for the Knox County Health Department. “We highly encourage everyone to continue wearing face coverings, social distance, not hold small or large gatherings, practicing good hand hygiene and staying home when you are sick so we can stop this increase in its tracks.” By taking steps to protect yourself and those around you, you can help to fight COVID-19. Residents should also remember that if they are listed as a close contact to a positive or listed as having potentially been part of an outbreak, they will receive a call from the Health Department.
Positive cases have been identified geographically throughout Knox County; with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reporting 68.5% of all Knox County cases residing in Galesburg, 9.3% in Knoxville, 3.7% in Abingdon, 2.5% in Dahinda, 1.5% in Wataga, 1.3% in Oneida, 1.2% in Williamsfield 1.1% in Rio, 0.9% in East Galesburg, 0.9% in Gilson, 0.1% in Yates City, 0.8% in Henderson, 0.8% in Maquon, 0.7% in Victoria, 0.7% in Altona, and 6.2% in the remaining areas of the County. According to IDPH, data shown is >5 cases per zip code which is consistent with Collection, Disclosure, and Confidentiality of Health Statistics (77 Ill. Adm. Code 1005). It should be assumed that COVID-19 exposure can occur in every county in IL. Zip code is zip code of residence, which may not be the location of exposure.
The Knox County Health Department in conjunction with the State of Illinois will be holding a Free COVID-19 Testing on Saturday, October 17, & Sunday, October 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Knox County Fair Ground, drive-thru or walk up. It is open to all Illinois residents, regardless of symptoms. Please bring your identification. At the drive-thru testing, staff will be practicing masking and social distancing throughout the event, and all individuals are being asked to wear face coverings as well.
Everyone should be aware that COVID-19 testing is available at the Knox Community Health Center on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, regardless of symptoms or other criteria, please call the Knox Community Health Center at 309-344-2225 to schedule an appointment. Call early as same day appointments are often available.
The Knox County Health Department urges all residents, for the health and safety of our community, to continue wearing face-coverings, practice social distancing, and stay home when you are ill. Trusted sources for information on COVID-19 include; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov and Illinois Department of Public Health www.dph.illinois.gov. http://gis.ci.galesburg.il.us/COVID , is the official source of information on COVID-19 numbers for Knox County. For general questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931, email dph.sick@illinois.gov or call your Knox County Health Department at 309-344-2224.
Erin Olson
Director of Wellness/Public Information Officer
