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Warning level in Knox County issued as cases spike, positivity rate surges

51 Illinois counties are now at a warning level, including Rock Island, Whiteside, Mercer and Jo Daviess counties.

GALESBURG, Illinois — Knox County, along with 50 other Illinois counties, is now at a warning level based on its COVID-19 metrics.

"We're not seeing a little bit of a spike," Knox County Health Department's Assistant Public Health Administrator Will Hayes says. "We're seeing an influx of new cases, We're seeing a huge spike in our county." 

In just three days this week, from October 20th to October 22nd, 76 new cases were reported. The county's positivity rate is hovering between eleven and twelve percent, well above the state's eight percent threshold. 

"We really do have community spread occurring in Knox County," Hayes says. "We're seeing increases in all our age demographics."

Region Two, which includes 20 other counties like Rock Island, Mercer and Henry counties, sits at about 7% right now. But if the entire area catches up to metrics like in Knox and Warren counties, mitigation efforts on businesses and gatherings could soon be possible. 

"There's a lot of restrictions that get put on and affect the businesses," Hayes says. 

Testing is ramping up at the health department, with nearly 400 conducted per week. 

"Our testing has increased here, a significant amount," Hayes says. "We're filling up each and every day we test."

Through contact tracing, health officials are finding that small gatherings are a major source. 

"That's the thing people don't think about, like 'I went over and visited with cousins' or 'I had grandma over,'" Hayes says. "They're not in your house and you don't know what they've done and they don't know what you've done." 

There's nearly ten contact tracers working for the county, but the department could soon need more. 

"If we have more positives, we have more contacts (to call), both of those lead to needing more people to do those things," Hayes says. 

There is a state testing site at Monmouth High School on October 24th and October 25th from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and another one next weekend at the Knox County Fairgrounds. 

"We really need to be on the ball with this, with wearing our masks and practicing social distancing," Hayes says. 

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