The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Tuesday March 30, 2021

Brian Moline and Olivia Butts
 
The Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant is one of the state's 82 critical access hospitals. It has just 25 beds. Smaller, rural hospitals like this were easily overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients during surges.

The Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant is one of the state's 82 critical access hospitals. It has just 25 beds. Smaller, rural hospitals like this were easily overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients during surges. Katrina Sostaric/Iowa Public Radio

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Today's headlines: 

  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin says he hopes Democrats and Republicans can come to an accord which avoids the elimination of the filibuster.

  • Public colleges and universities in Illinois are asking the Governor and Illinois Department of Public Health to force college students to get coronavirus vaccines or not attend classes on campus in the fall.

  • Voters in Rantoul are electing their village board from districts for the first time in the April 6 election.

  • Positivity rates for COVID-19 continue to rise in Illinois. The seven-day case positivity rate for the state was at 3.3% Monday, continuing a steady rise from the 2.6% percent a week ago.

In today's deep dive, a year into the pandemic, COVID-19 has put an enormous strain on the health care system, from the influxes of COVID patients to staffing shortages and budget crunches.

217 Today is produced by Olivia Butts. Reporting today contributed by Tim Shelley, Charlie Schlenker, Jim Meadows, and Natalie Krebs.