ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Ill. — "We are beginning to see troubling trends of (COVID-19) case counts and hospitalizations starting to rise."
That's what the Rock Island County Health Department said just two weeks after reporting a daily case count of eight coronavirus infections; the lowest since August 23, 2020.
In the week that followed, the department reported a downward trend from 21 new cases in a single day, steadily down to four on March 1. As of March 10, 20 new cases were reported.
"We all have worked so hard to keep the number of infections low, and we can’t let up now," read a statement from the department.
The message is that masking, social distancing and frequent hand washing are still important to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
"More people are getting vaccinated, but we can’t stop the public health guidance you’ve heard us say for a year now," said the statement. "We can’t backslide. Please do your part."
Vaccination opportunities are becoming more widespread. Check here for clinics and sign-ups in your area.
This chart shows how many new COVID-19 cases have been reported daily in Rock Island County since mid-January.
Note: in early March, the Rock Island County Health Department started combining Saturday, Sunday and Monday case counts. This is reflected for the first time in the 57 cases reported on Monday, March 8.
This chart shows the curve of new daily COVID-19 cases from August of 2020 through February of 2021. The daily case counts were at their highest in November, peaking at a daily count of 291 cases.
