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Latest R.I. County COVID death is man in 30s, 550 new cases in last two days

How long your omicron symptoms last depends on several factors, including your age, vaccination status and overall health. UnityPoint Health asks people with mild symptoms to take at-home COVID tests, and not come to urgent care clinics or emergency departments (Photo: Getty Images).

Rock Island County Health Department on Wednesday reported one COVID-19 death: a man in his 30s who died at home. The total number of deaths is now 428.

In addition, the health department reports 550 new cases of COVID-19 since the last update on Monday. The total number of cases is now 26,772. The average age is 32. There are 89 hospitalized with COVID in Rock Island County.

“The high number of cases today suggest two stories,” health department administrator Nita Ludwig said Wednesday. “First, we see a large number of newly infected people who are 60 and older. Our vaccination rate for those 65 and older is quite good – 82% are fully vaccinated and 95% have at least one dose. However, only 36% of people have received their booster dose. Boosters are available to everyone 12 and older at least five months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two months after their Johnson & Johnson dose.

“The other worrisome point is the high number of people who are younger than 50 and have tested positive. This age group tends to be not vaccinated at all. Our total vaccination rate for 5 and older is 60%. We urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” Ludwig said.

The health department offers twice-a-week walk-in vaccination clinics for those 12 and older: Tuesdays (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson for 18 and older) and Fridays (Pfizer for 12 and older). The hours for both days are 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Boosters or third doses for immunocompromised people are available on the same day as first and second doses.

Appointments for Friday’s pediatric Pfizer clinic for children ages 5-11 are available through a link on the health department’s Facebook page. As of late Wednesday, slots were available.

UnityPoint Health recommends at-home tests for mild symptoms

UnityPoint Health emergency department and urgent care locations are seeing a steep increase in the number of patients without symptoms seeking COVID tests on a walk-in basis, the healthcare organization said Wednesday.

UnityPoint Health provides testing, if clinically appropriate, when caring for patients who visit facilities to seek treatment for upper respiratory symptoms. The Emergency Department does not offer walk-in COVID-19 testing and should be reserved for life-threatening emergencies, a UnityPoint release said.

People without symptoms (asymptomatic) or those with mild upper respiratory symptoms should obtain an at-home COVID-19 test through state testing, their county public health department, or through a local pharmacy or retailer, they said. Those who get a positive result with a home test do not need to visit an urgent care or emergency department to have their positive test result confirmed with further testing.

Healthcare and pharmacy partners also are offering vaccinations for both children and adults. Visit vaccines.gov to find your shot. You can search by brand and by distance.