First area Coronavirus case confirmed

The number of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus has risen to 33 in Champaign County. According to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, one of the newest positive diagnosis is located in the 61873 zip code.

Of the 33 active cases reported by the CUPHD, 15 of those individuals are currently hospitalized. Despite Governor J.B. Pritzker's shelter-in-place order and residents observing social distancing protocols, the number of confirmed cases have risen to 6,980 cases in Illinois.

Virologists and behavioral biologist models expect the pandemic to reach its peak over the next two to three weeks.

The latest data shows that adults between the ages of 31 and 40 make up nearly half of the total infected in the Champaign County.

While no deaths have been reported in the county, more than 140 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred in Illinois.

The website also list five individuals as recovered in the latest data from the public health agency.

Across Illinois as of April 1, the Illinois Department of Public Health says around 40,384 residents have been tested.

St. Joseph mayor encourages everyone to fill out census online

Today, is Census Day and if you haven't completed yours online or mailed it back yet today, it's time to get'r done.

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges has bet with a couple of area mayors and is enjoying a significant lead in the wager and she needs everyone's help in padding the village's numbers.

"I looked up the numbers for March 25th and I currently have bragging rights for St. Joseph with ours being a 42.8% response rate," said Fruhling-Voges. "Mahomet is at 37.3% and Savoy is at 30.0%."

The purpose of the census is to figure out how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. The federal government also uses the data to distributed more than $675 billion annually to states for various programs.

If a household does not response or the form is incomplete, someone from the Census Bureau will follow up either by phone or in person to get the missing or needed information.

She is encouraging members of the community who have not yet done their part to do so.

"While we're all stuck at home get those Census responses sent in!" she said.

You can fill out the form online today at https://my2020census.gov/. The online questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete. The online portal is the fast and secure way to help the village and state receive the funding it deserves.