Local officials want Champaign County listed as Health Innovation Region

Mahomet’s Mayor Sean Widener joined other local officials from Champaign County in a letter addressed to Gov. JB Pritzker  and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)  stating that it is “troubling and disappointing to everyone in our community” that Champaign County would be subject to additional mitigation measures should Region 6 go back to Phase 3 due to increasing COVID-19 positivity rate. 

Champaign County data was removed from Region 6 during the final week of September after data showed that the University of Illinois’ practice of repeated saliva testing for staff and students was skewing the positivity percentages throughout the region. 

Up to up to 20-percent of all tests done in the state happen at the University of Illinois some weeks. 

Because of this high volume, the positivity rate for Region 6 could be overshadowed by what is happening at UIUC.  Therefore, in addition to providing data for Region 6, IDPH is now presenting data for Region 6 without Champaign County. 

When regions throughout Illinois have sustained 7-day increase in hospital admissions for a COVID-19 like illness, reduction in hospital capacity threatening surge capabilities (ICU capacity or medical/surgical beds < 20%) or three consecutive days averaging ≥ 8% positivity rate, IDPH puts additional mitigations to bring the COVID-19 levels down. 

The letter says, “Champaign County stands out in our state and in our nation as an exemplar for the way communities can responsibly and innovatively navigate the challenges of the pandemic. Following diligently the guidance of Restore Illinois, we have established ourselves as the state’s testbed for breakthrough innovations and bold community partnership initiatives for the mitigation and containment of the pandemic. With a laser-sharp focus on the health and wellness of our community, our ultimate goal is to provide our state and our nation the innovation and guidance necessary for the expeditious, safety-first restoration of our lives and the economy.”

The group wants to see Pritzker designated Champaign County as a Health Innovation Region that would not only be separate from Region 6 in statistical decisions, but also essentially make the area its own region “subject to the same Restore Illinois monitoring and enforcement criteria that govern the rest of the state.”

The group recognized that the volume of testing in Champaign County, at both the U of I and through additional free community testing center available to residents does affect the statistics of the rest of the region. 

“And we agree without reservation that those surrounding counties need to have an accurate and real-time accounting of the prevalence of the infection in their communities in order to take any necessary steps to protect their residents,” the letter states.

But they also said that other public health systems, such as contact tracing alongside a “county-wide culture of public health compliance” has made Champaign County “ one of the safest regions in the state.”

When U of I students returned to school on Aug. 24, Champaign County’s positivity (including the U of I) rate was .7-percent and currently sits at .7-percent. The number, including U of I peaked at 6.5 percent on Sept. 18 and was at 4.5-percent on Oct. 5, according to IDPH.

Region 6’s rate was at 5.8 percent without Champaign County’s data on Aug. 24. On Sept. 2 and 11, the rate was 7.3-percent and is 7.7 percent on Oct. 13. 

According to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, there were 488 cases in the county the week of Aug. 23 and 977 positive cases the week of Aug. 30. Those numbers have recently decreased to 582 (week of Sept. 9), 309 (week of Sept. 13), 353 (week of Sept. 20), 334 (week of Sept. 27) and 281 (week of Oct. 4).

Comparatively, Vermilion County, also part of Region 6, has had an increase of positive COVID-19 cases. During the week of Aug. 23, there were 47 new cases according to the Vermilion County Health Department’s website. The week of Aug. 30, there were 60 positive cases; the week of Sept. 9 34 new cases; the week of Sept. 13 104 positive cases; the week of Sept. 20 100 new cases and the week of Sept. 27 159 new cases. 

“The model we are pioneering is designed to be quickly reproducible, scalable and deployable. The pilot program we are creating here in Champaign County can be the model for cities and counties across the entire state, the country and the world. But forcing us backward along with the rest of Region 6 would immediately and decisively end that momentum of innovation and deprive Illinois of a chance that no other state has,” the letter states.

The letter also states that the U of I’s saliva test may be expanded to  all the K-12 schools in Champaign County.

“Continuing and accelerating our success, instead of retrenching, is the appropriate next step,” the letter reads. 

“We have evidence that our comprehensive approach works. We have documented every step of the way, and we have invested enormous resources in developing the most successful COVID-19 mitigation programs in the entire country. This is the tipping point. This is the time to invest in proven innovation. And it is time to accelerate the export of this model to every community across this state.”

Homer Mayor’s Ray Cunningham said he would have supported the letter if he had known about it sooner. Cunningham said the Homer board “recognize(s) the unique position that Champaign county is in with the university and our health care availability.”