The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Monday, August 9, 2021

Brian Moline and Carolina Garibay
 
HIV researchers say Black Americans are less likely to be tested for HIV and the least likely to be linked to care if they test positive.

HIV researchers say Black Americans are less likely to be tested for HIV and the least likely to be linked to care if they test positive. Indiana Minority Health Coalition

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Monday, August 9, 2021

Today's headlines:

  • After canceling the Illinois State Fair last year due to the pandemic, organizers are set to open the 10-day event next week. But the specter of COVID-19 will be present throughout the fairgrounds in Springfield.

  • Carle Health is now requiring unvaccinated employees to wear an N-95 mask, along with other safety measures. The new policy at Carle comes about a month after OSF Healthcare imposed a similar requirement for its workers.

  • The Champaign County Board will consider spending nearly a half-million dollars to move inmates out of the aging county jail in downtown Urbana, due to a shortage of correctional officers.

  • Champaign County public health officials reported 46 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, and the number of active cases held steady at 617, the highest number of active cases in the county since February.

In today's deep dive, there’s a hidden HIV epidemic among Black women. In the first part of a series from Side Effects Public Media we find out they’re being infected at unusually high rates.

Reporting today contributed by Hannah Meisel, Eric Stock, Jim Meadows and Darian Benson.