BREAKING NEWS: Douglas Adams would be so proud. Today, it was announced by the Rock Island and Scott County Health Departments that the Quad-Cities has reached the point where 42 percent of the population over 16 years old has been vaccinated against covid-19. The Rock Island Health Department announced the following today: Congrats, Quad Cities, for achieving 42% COVID-19 vaccination of our 16+ population! Let’s keep the momentum going…for ourselves, our neighbors, and our community! #vaccinateqc #VaxUpIL Find vaccination options here: https://togetherqc.com/2021/04/covid19-vaccine-options/. The... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Covid numbers for Illinois Region 2, which includes the Illinois Quad-Cities, continue to worsen, bringing our area ominously close to potential mitigations, according to data released over the weekend. As earlier reported on QuadCities.com, covid-19 numbers in Illinois Region 2, which includes the Quad-Cities area, have been surging over the past two weeks, putting the area at risk for mitigations and a shutdown of some activities. Region 2 has seen a rise in covid cases for more than seven days, which would put it in danger of having some mitigations reinstated; it has seen three... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: More younger people are being hospitalized for more severe covid-19 symptoms, however, fewer older patients required hospitalization for COVID-19 illness in February and March as vaccines became available, according to Genesis Health System statistics. While numbers are reducing for Quad-Citians over 50, Genesis Medical Centers experienced a rise in hospitalizations for patients ages 0-to-49. “We are seeing more admissions in younger age groups and some of these patients are sicker,’’ said Kurt Andersen, M.D., senior vice president of physician operations and chief medical... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois’ Region 2 could be headed backwards towards another, at least partial, shutdown, if covid-19 numbers continue to break in the wrong direction. The Illinois Quad-Cities is a part of Illinois Region 2, which includes Peoria and its surrounding areas, and those spots have been a hotbed for rising covid cases in the last two weeks, according to reports. Peoria County is the eighth worst county in the United States over the last week, relative to their population, according to a report by the New York Times based upon numbers from throughout the United States. That has... Read More

If you get your Covid vaccine at the Rock Island County mass vaccination clinic in Milan between April 14 and May 20, 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. “Vaccine Variations” is an initiative that arranges for one-hour performances by QCSO musicians starting April... Read More

Looking to get a covid-19 vaccination? Genesis is doing its best to help. Genesis Health Group will help speed up COVID-19 protection with a mass vaccination clinic to open March 23 for Genesis patients. Genesis administered the first local vaccines in December. As more vaccine becomes available, Genesis will consolidate its Iowa vaccination efforts into the former Dick’s Sporting Goods store at 5250 Elmore Ave., Davenport. The retail-sized clinic in the new location will allow Genesis to reach more Scott County patients in a shorter period. The vaccinations will be available by appointment... Read More

There’s an old saying that you shouldn’t blame the messenger when you receive bad news. However, that saying is reliant on the messenger being a neutral party. When the messenger is merely the one bringing you the message, it’s without blame. For example, when we at QuadCities.com, give you a story featuring covid statistics, we’re passing along information we’ve gleaned from an official source. We also attribute that source, so that you know where we got that information. We have no part in creating that information. We do not make up the statistics. We do the duty of what the media... Read More

Is another surge in covid cases coming to the Quad-Cities? Rock Island County Health Department sent out a warning about “troubling” data in regard to covid-19 cases. The RICHD posted the following on its social media: We are beginning to see troubling trends of case counts and hospitalizations starting to rise. About two weeks ago, we were seeing single-digit daily case counts and low numbers of people in the hospital with COVID-19. Since then, we are regularly seeing 20 or more cases and more people needing hospital care. We know there are more-contagious virus variants circulating... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: More residents of Rock Island and Scott counties are eligible to receive long-awaited vaccines against Covid-19. The Iowa Department of Public Health has announced that beginning Monday, March 8, health care providers are now authorized to vaccinate individuals 64 years of age and younger with medical conditions that are or may be an increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19. Qualifying underlying conditions can be found on the Centers for Disease Control list of underlying conditions. The IDPH press announcement stated: “This announcement comes as several Iowa counties... Read More

When you allow people with less intelligence and common sense to think for you and inform your decisions, the results are seldom good. And that’s why Iowans — and those traveling through Iowa in the Quad-Cities and throughout the state — need to ignore the abysmal advice of short-sighted Governor Kim Reynolds and trust scientists and their own common sense and good judgement in regard to covid. Over 5,000 people have died in Iowa since the pandemic began, 60 percent of those in the last three months, according to the Iowa Department of Health. Sixty percent. Over the last three... Read More