East Central Reporter

As of March 3, there have been 155 Jasper County residents of 80 years and older who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to numbers being reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

There have been 3,088 residents of 80 years and older in the county who had been tested, meaning that five percent of those tested have the coronavirus. Through March 3, there have been 2,668 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths from the coronavirus in Jasper County.

Illinois was home to some of the first reported COVID-19 cases in the US. It has suffered numerous waves of the pandemic, which peaked in the fall of 2020. As the Midwestern hub of the US, Illinois businesses suffered greatly, including layoffs at two major airlines based in the state.

Date	Total Tested	Total Positive	Positive %
March 3	28,496	2,668	9.4
March 2	28,457	2,667	9.4
March 1	28,363	2,667	9.4
February 28	28,349	2,666	9.4
February 25	28,282	2,665	9.4
February 24	28,225	2,663	9.4
February 23	28,171	2,661	9.4
February 22	28,079	2,660	9.5