Reporter Update: Coronavirus In The Quad Cities

Most of Illinois' COVID-19 cases remain concentrated in Chicago and the surrounding area, but there are trouble spots Downstate. They include Metro East — the Illinois side of the St. Louis region — and Winnebago County, home to Rockford. Then there’s Rock Island County — home to the Quad Cities.

As of Sunday, the state Department of Public Health is reporting a rate of 2.1 cases per thousand people in Rock Island County. That’s four times the rate of infection seen in counties that are home to other Downstate cities like Champaign, Bloomington and Springfield.

Each Monday, The 21st talks with reporters from various parts of Illinois for an update on COVID-19.

Today we were joined by Michelle O’Neill, the news editor at NPR member station WVIK, to talk about what’s happening in the Quad Cities.