BREAKING NEWS: Illinois will reopen tomorrow after over a year in various stages of covid lockdown! Governor JB Pritzker announced earlier this week that the metrics had been met to put Illinois into Phase 5, which is the least restrictive of all the mitigation phases for the pandemic. So what does that mean for you? How will your life change, for the better, with fewer restrictions? And what restrictions, if any, still remain? According to the Illinois Department of Health, under Phase 5 (the new phase), fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask except where required... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: At long last, after the pandemic has kept the state under lockdown for most of the past year-plus, Illinois is looking to reopen (mostly) on Friday. “After a tremendously challenging year, Illinois has now reached a defining moment in our efforts to defeat COVID-19,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. “Thanks to the hard work of residents across the state, Illinois will soon resume life as we knew it before – returning to events, gatherings, and a fully reopened economy, with some of the safety guidelines we’ve adopted still in place.” According to the Illinois Department... Read More

Genesis Health System has repeated on the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list. No other Iowa health system has made the list even once. Of course, it’s nice to be recognized as one of the top health systems in the U.S. We’re extremely proud of Genesis medical staff and all of our 5,000 employees for the contributions they make to the region’s health on a daily basis. But more important than our personal satisfaction is our confidence the recognition will be meaningful to Genesis patients. The recognition makes a difference. Here is what IBM Watson Health data demonstrates about the... Read More

The Milan Camden Centre mass vaccination site will be open through Saturday, May 29. Starting the week of June 1, the health department will have twice-weekly vaccination clinics. Tuesday is for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (18 and older) vaccine and Friday is for Pfizer (12 and older.) Hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. both days and by appointment other weekdays. If those times don’t fit in your schedule, find your shot at vaccines.gov. #vaccinateqc #vaxupIL  Read More

Watch out Deadpool. Stand back, Wolverine. Get bent, Superman. It’s only a matter of time now. This week, I got my second covid-19 vaccination shot, and as we ALL know from the research we’ve done on the internet, the alien DNA mixed with the Bill Gates microchip and a secret recipe of nine herbs and spices will soon result in me developing mutant superpowers, in order to fight the Nirons, interdimensional aliens who are due to arrive to conquer earth any moment now. What? You didn’t read that website? Or maybe it was just a TikTok? It’s not entirely out of the realm of... Read More

Genesis Health System has been named to the IBM Watson Health 15 Top Health Systems list for the second consecutive year and is again the only Iowa health system to be recognized. IBM Watson Health has identified the top health systems from a rigorous evaluation of 324 health systems and 2,522 hospitals that are members of health systems. The annual list recognizes excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience. IBM Watson Health established the list to establish top performance benchmarks that may help other healthcare organizations achieve consistent, balanced,... Read More

Quad City Arts is helping promote a new grant opportunity for artists to help combat rampant vaccine hesitancy nationwide. It is posting the fact that Arts Alliance Illinois is looking for practicing local artists (any medium) whose audiences reach Illinois residents under 35 years old, people of color, and women. Ideally, these artists have audiences and followings in the target demographics. The artists themselves do not have to fit within said demographics. The goal of the Arts and Vaccination Campaign is to encourage Illinois residents to combat Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy, and to support Illinois... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: As the Covid-19 vaccine becomes more readily available, more efforts in the Quad-Cities are taking shape to encourage more people to not throw away their shot. UnityPoint Clinic – Express Duck Creek is welcoming walk-in vaccine appointments seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Now, anyone age 12 and up can now get their Pfizer vaccine by simply walking in at the Express Duck Creek located at Kimberly and Middle Road, Bettendorf. Residents of both Illinois and Iowa are welcome to receive their vaccine at this location. “We are trying to do our part to make sure the vaccine... Read More

If you get your Covid vaccine at the Rock Island County mass vaccination clinic in Milan 2 and 3 p.m. today, there will be something special that’s literally music to your ears. Taking inspiration from famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s recent impromptu performance during his Covid vaccine observation period, the Rock Island County Health Department and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) are partnering to bring live music to the mass vaccination site at Camden Centre in Milan, and TODAY is the last day for the performances! “Vaccine Variations” is an initiative that arranges for one-hour performances... Read More

The Quad Cities International Airport is continuing its impressive ascent in passenger traffic, as April saw more than 36,000 passengers travel through the Moline airport. For comparison, April 2020 saw just 2,734 total passengers as the pandemic took a firm hold across the globe. With this last month’s 36,594 passengers, moving forward the airport will use 2019 passenger numbers as a comparison to measure recovery, it said Wednesday. “We typically see a slight dip in April coming off of the busy spring break season, so the slight bump in passenger numbers was a welcome sight,” Q-C Airport... Read More