Why are the number of coronavirus cases growing in St. Clair and Madison counties?
As COVID-19 cases continue to grow in St. Clair County, officials say they’re fighting a two-front battle: winning the public over on taking safety precautions and identifying why cases are growing so rapidly.
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to soar in St. Clair County and steadily grow in Madison County over the weekend and into the early week. The counties reported a combined total of 189 new cases on Monday and Tuesday alone.
In St. Clair County, officials say recent celebrations of Fourth of July contributed to the increase, but other reasons for the high number of cases in the county remain somewhat of a mystery.
St. Clair County Emergency Management Director Herb Simmons said the current spike can be attributed to recent celebrations, but from the beginning of the pandemic, the county’s case total has been higher than most. On Tuesday, the county’s total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic was 2,654,
Simmons said the county’s positivity rate has been far higher than expected, almost double the state average. Positivity rates refer to the percentage of total tests that are positive.
Currently, the county’s case rate for every 100,000 people is higher than in Chicago, according to a map from the Illinois Department of Public Health. From the week from June 28 through July 7, 85 new cases per 100,000 people were reported in the county, while Chicago reported 58 cases per 100,000.
Simmons said the Health Department and Emergency Management Agency have been working around the clock to identify what’s causing such high rates in the county, even comparing testing rates with other counties across the state to identify if St. Clair’s testing rates match up with others.
On July 13, St. Clair County’s seven-day positivity rate reached 9.20%.
“We don’t want to go backward,” Simmons said. “We want this to be over with, but we know it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Statewide, 155,506 cases of COVID-19 have been reported with a total of 2,041,440 tests performed. The statewide seven-day positivity rate from July 7 to July 13 is 3%.
Simmons said figuring out what’s causing such a high rate in St. Clair County is no easy task. Data trends are highly erratic, and spikes in cases are sometimes hard to predict.
“The numbers indicate that we need to be lower, but we’re still under the state’s requirements,” Simmons said. “They’re all over the place, though. By the time you see a trend for a day or two we get a spike in the numbers.”
Simmons said winning the public over on wearing masks is a big issue right now. He said almost daily the county struggles with the public’s perception of wearing masks. Weeks ago the county ended its daily COVID-19 briefings, but he said the rise in cases and demand from citizens mean it could be back sooner rather than later.
The briefings were livestreamed over a county Facebook page and gave people an update on case totals, any new deaths and other general COVID-19 information. Simmons said the show is one of the best ways persuade people to wear a mask or social distance from afar.
“You’ve got to win them over,” Simmons said. “And this really gets the word out there.”
On Tuesday, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and Simmons met with all of the county’s mayors, police chiefs and fire chiefs over the phone, asking all officials to be vigilant and get the word to the public that masks are necessary. While the county is within the state guidelines of having less than a 10% positivity rate, he worries St. Clair could be headed back to Phase 3.
Illinois moved into Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s five-phased reopening plan June 24, allowing indoor service, with limits and precautions, at restaurants and bars and gatherings of up to 50. Officials continue to urge residents to wear face coverings in public buildings, with a few exceptions, and outside if they’re unable to stay at least 6 feet away from others.
In Phase 3, which went into effect May 29, restaurants and bars were allowed outdoor service only, with safety precautions, and groups of more than 10 were banned.
County Health Department Executive Director Barb Hohlt did not respond to a request for comment on the surge of cases in St. Clair County, but in a press release stated that communities need to focus on following guidelines that prevent the spread of the virus.
“Our number of positive cases are increasing in St. Clair County,” Hohlt said. “As we open the door to more activity, we must not become complacent about the spread of COVID-19. We, as a community, must all work together to help control this virus.”
Madison County sees record day of new cases
In Madison County, Health Department Public Information Officer Amy Yeager said cases were expected to rise steadily due to an increase of testing and the Phase 4 reopening of the state. But she said other factors could be accounting for the county’s four-day streak of high numbers, one of which was record-breaking for the county.
“With people having more interactions, you get more cases,” Yeager said, adding that the Fourth of July and several successful community testings events most likely added to the recent spike in numbers. “People’s behavior really plays a factor.”
On Monday and Tuesday alone, Madison County reported 92 cases, bringing the county’s new total to 1,275 cases. Monday was a record-breaking day for the county with 54 new cases reported.
Yeager said the county’s positivity rates are the best way to tell what’s really going on. As of Tuesday, the positivity rate in Madison County was 6.8% and the county’s rolling seven-day positivity average is 6.02%, according to the health department.
“It [the positivity rate] gives you a clearer picture,” Yeager said, acknowledging the rate has been higher than before but not as high as in months past. “We definitely don’t want to keep going in this direction, but it’s nowhere near the positivity rate we had in April.”
Yeager and Simmons stressed that the only way the virus will go away is if people social distance and use masks. Yeager said patience plays a big part when new, novel viruses spread for the public and officials who are working to fight COVID-19.
She added that the public needs to be patient and continue to use masks, wash their hands, minimize trips outside and social distance.
“The virus is still here. It’s not going anywhere any time fast and it’s still a new virus, it’s a novel virus,” she said. “With novel viruses, it takes a lot of patience in the field and from the community.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 1:15 PM.