Midwest Communications PEORIA, Ill. — Patients in area hospitals took a dive in the right direction Thursday, as 11 fewer people with COVID-19 are occupying hospital beds compared to Wednesday. Ten fewer people occupied non-ICU beds Thursday, in addition to one fewer person occupying an ICU bed. At the time of reporting Thursday by the Peoria City/County Health Department, 57 people are currently in area hospitals with the virus. One new death was reported Thursday in the tri-county area, as a woman in her 90s who resided at Proctor Place in Peoria County succumbed to the virus. Overall, 145 new cases were reported throughout the tri-county of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford.