St. Clair County Health Department suspends walk-in services as coronavirus spreads
The St. Clair County Health Department has suspended walk-in services for the public in light of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state.
The department will remain open, however, Executive Director Barb Hohlt said during a live stream hosted by the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency on Sunday. Employees will be available by phone to guide callers to services, including setting up necessary appointments and offering WIC coupons.
On Sunday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office reported 1,049 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide, including an infant. The number of deaths statewide had risen to nine.
Authorities have reported nine cases of coronavirus in St. Clair, Madison, Clinton and Washington counties as of Sunday.
Hohlt said 49 people had been tested for the virus in St. Clair County through the health department. Three of those tests were positive. Results of 10 tests are pending, she said.
“This is why it is important we need to stay home and work to prevent this transmission of disease,” Hohlt said.
Here’s a breakdown of the cases in the metro-east:
▪ St. Clair County has three cases: One woman is in her 60s and the other is in her 70s. They both traveled overseas and were recovering at home. The third case is a man in his 50s. As of Saturday, 44 people had been tested for coronavirus and eight of these tests are pending.
▪ Madison County has two cases: A man in his 60s and a man in his 30s. Both traveled internationally and are now recovering at home.
▪ Clinton County has three cases: A woman in her 60s, a man in his 60s and woman in her 20s. None had traveled internationally.
▪ Washington County has one case: A male in his 30s who had traveled to Chicago. He is self-quarantining.
As of Sunday, no deaths have been reported in the metro-east.
Illinois and metro-east health department directors have refused to release additional information about the victims, such as the towns in which they live.
Hohlt has said further information about the patients cannot be released because such a disclosure would violate federal privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
Also speaking during the live stream was Dr. Leo Hsu, the regional director for BJC Healthcare, who reminded the public to practice social distancing and abide by the governor’s orders for staying at home.
Hsu said that with the lack of testing and hospital capacity, vulnerable populations, who are far more likely to die from the virus, have to be protected.
“We as Americans are not accustomed to not being able to have some of these resources available to us, but we just don’t have the testing kits,” he said. “There will be more available, but at this point they have to be saved for patients who will be admitted to the hospital.”
For more information about COVID-19 cases in Illinois, go to the state’s coronavirus page at coronavirus.illinois.gov
This story was originally published March 22, 2020 at 4:22 PM.
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