Four southwestern Illinois counties report 172 new coronavirus cases, two deaths
Four southwestern Illinois counties reported 172 coronavirus cases on Saturday, and two COVID-19-related deaths were announced in St. Clair County.
Along with St. Clair County, positive cases were reported in Madison, Randolph and Monroe counties. Clinton, Washington and Bond counties did not announce results as of Saturday night. These seven counties comprise Region 4 as designated by the state health department during the pandemic.
St. Clair County officials announced the coronavirus-related deaths of two women — one was in the 50s age range and the other was in the 60s age range. The health department said the previous health conditions of the women were not known.
The county has had a total of 172 virus-related deaths since March.
There were 91 new cases reported Saturday, with people ranging in age from under 1 to the 90s. Overall, the county has had 5,296 positive cases since the first two were announced on March 14.
St. Clair County’s positivity rate was at 9.2% on Saturday, up slightly from the 9.1% reported on Friday. The Region 4 positivity rate as of Wednesday was 9.5%, according to the latest statistics available on Saturday. The daily positivity rate is the percentage of positive coronavirus tests among those tests that are taken that day.
This rate is one of the metrics used by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state Department of Public Health officials when they announced new restrictions that went into effect on Tuesday because the region’s rate had remained above 8%.
“It’s going in the wrong direction. We definitely want it going down,” St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency director Herb Simmons said of the county’s positivity rate. He spoke Saturday during the county’s daily coronavirus briefing, which is aired on Facebook each afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
Simmons reiterated the message Dr. Jiggar Hindia said during the briefing on Friday when Hindia said the coronavirus is “100 percent not the flu.”
Hindia, who recovered from COVID-19, said, “We have never seen a virus that can do so much to a patient, one that is so contagious. The flu can be very serious. People can get very sick from the flu. But with this coronavirus, we’re seeing things we don’t see from the flu, such as blood clots and strokes that we don’t see with influenza. It is very different. This is no joke.”
Simmons said he hopes Hindia’s warning “will sink in” with people who think that coronarvirus is just like the flu.
Madison County on Saturday announced 61 new positive results for a cumulative total of 3,441.
The positivity rate in Madison County was 8.18% on Saturday.
Randolph County reported nine new cases, and Monroe County had four on Saturday.
In three counties near Region 4 — Perry, Jersey and Calhoun — no results were announced as of Saturday night.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 2,356 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and 17 additional virus-related deaths.
Illinois has seen a total of 7,874 deaths during the pandemic as of Saturday. A total of 218,285 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, while nearly 3.6 million tests have been conducted for COVID-19 with 56,766 tests conducted since Friday.
This was a record number of daily tests for the state, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Chicago newspaper also reported the state’s positivity rate remained at 4.3% on Saturday.
Southwestern Illinois COVID-19 statistics
The following are the latest available statistics by county. ZIP-code-level numbers are provided by the state each afternoon at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics. Madison County compiles its own statistics by ZIP code from the state reporting system later in the day, so the numbers may differ from what appears on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports the information Madison County provides. ZIP codes with fewer than five cases of the virus are not reported by health officials. The number in parentheses after each ZIP code below reflects the change from the previous day’s cumulative total. A decrease reflects a correction. All other information comes from local health departments. The “recoveries” figure refers to the number of people who completed the required isolation period in most counties:
Here are the latest available statistics for southwestern Illinois counties. The number in parentheses reflects how the new daily total compares to the prior day’s total. Subtractions occur when a COVID-19 positive patient is misdiagnosed or moves away from the area.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: 91 new cases, 989 new tests administered, two new deaths, 42 hospitalizations, daily positivity rate of 9.2%
Total overall: 5,296 positives, 172 deaths, 55,980 tests administered, 4,414 recoveries, 42 hospitalizations, one patient on ventilator
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62059 (Brooklyn): 10
- 62201 (East St. Louis): 211 (+2)
- 62203 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington Park, Caseyville): 172 (+1)
- 62204 (East St. Louis): 125 (-1)
- 62205 (East St. Louis, Alorton, Centreville): 174 (+2)
- 62206 (East St. Louis, Cahokia): 385 (+3)
- 62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): 221
- 62208 (Fairview Heights): 331 (+6)
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 421 (+5)
- 62221 (Belleville): 495 (+15)
- 62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 299 (+6)
- 62225 (Scott Air Force Base): 22
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea): 558 (+9)
- 62232 (Fairview Heights, Caseyville): 131 (+1)
- 62239 (Dupo): 68 (+3)
- 62240 (Dupo): 23 (+1)
- 62243 (Freeburg): 46 (+3)
- 62254 (Lebanon): 168 (+7)
- 62255 (Lenzburg): 14
- 62257 (Marissa): 25 (-1)
- 62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): 111 (+8)
- 62260 (Millstadt): 89
- 62264 (New Athens): 77 (+3)
- 62269 (O’Fallon): 401 (+6)
- 62285 (Smithton): 53 (+2)
MADISON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: 61 new positives, 746 new tests administered, five new hospitalizations, 38 new recoveries
Total overall: 3,441 positives, 90 deaths, 52,190 tests administered, 1,548 recoveries, 29 hospitalizations, four people on a ventilator
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62001 (Kaufman, Alhambra): 15
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 530 (+8)
- 62010 (Bethalto): 134 (+3)
- 62018 (Alton, Bethalto, East Alton): 31 (+1)
- 62021 (Dorsey): 9
- 62024 (East Alton): 58 (+1)
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 457 (+10)
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 200 (+1)
- 62035 (Godfrey): 189 (+1)
- 62040 (Granite City, Pontoon Beach): 559 (+1)
- 62048 (Edwardsville, Granite City, Roxana, Hartford): 8 (+1)
- 62060 (Granite City, Madison, Venice): 93 (+2)
- 62061 (Marine): 20
- 62062 (Maryville): 77
- 62067 (Moro): 30 (+2)
- 62084 (Edwardsville, Wood River, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, South Roxana): 13
- 62087 (Edwardsville, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford): 16 (+2)
- 62090 (Madison, Venice): 29 (+1)
- 62095 (Wood River): 109 (+2)
- 62097 (Prairietown, Worden): 30 (+5)
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park Place): 386 (+11)
- 62249 (Highland): 189 (+5)
- 62275 (Pocahontas): 10
- 62281 (St. Jacob): 38
- 62294 (Troy): 167 (+4)
- 62012 (Godfrey, Brighton): 15
- 62046 (Hamel): 6
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: Nine new positives, 7.7% positivity rate.
Total overall: 630 positives, seven deaths, 505 recoveries, 8,084 tests administered, three hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62217 (Baldwin): 14
- 62233 (Chester): 222 (+12)
- 62237 (Coulterville): 40 (+3)
- 62241 (Ellis Grove): 13
- 62242 (Evansville): 14
- 62272 (Willisville, Percy): 61
- 62278 (Red Bud): 82 (+4)
- 62286 (Sparta): 106 (+2)
- 62288 (Steeleville): 81 (-5)
CLINTON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 565 positives, 17 deaths, 389 recoveries, two hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62215 (Albers, Damiansville): 21 (+3)
- 62216 (Aviston): 41 (+5)
- 62218 (Bartelso): 18 (+4)
- 62230 (Breese): 70 (+8)
- 62231 (Carlyle): 131 (+5)
- 62245 (Germantown): 25 (+1)
- 62265 (New Baden): 91
- 62293 (Trenton): 69 (+11)
- 62801 (Centralia): 131 (+6)
MONROE COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: Four new positives
Total overall: 388 positives, 13 deaths
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62236 (Columbia): 175
- 62295 (Valmeyer): 16
- 62298 (Waterloo): 173
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: Seven new positives, 210 new tests administered, three new recoveries
Total overall: 321 positives, four deaths, 13,990 tests administered, one hospitalization, 75 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62009 (Benld, Sawyerville, Mount Clare): 8 (+1)
- 62012 (Brighton): 58 (+8)
62014 (Bunker Hill): 24 (+4)
62033 (Gillespie): 50 (+5)
62069 (Mount Olive): 21 (+4)
- 62088 (Staunton): 60 (+4)
- 62626 (Carlinville): 39
- 62640 (Girard): 8
- 62674 (Palmyra, Barr): 9 (+2)
- 62690 (Virden): 17 (+1)
- 62685 (Royal Lakes, Plainview, Shipman, IL): 6
PERRY COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 251 positives, six deaths, 157 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62238 (Cutler): 12
- 62274 (Pinckneyville): 103
- 62832 (Du Quoin): 60
- 62888 (Tamaroa): 10
JERSEY COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 214 positives, two deaths, 95 recoveries, four hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62022 (Newbern): 12 (+1)
- 62037 (Grafton): 21 (+1)
- 62052 (Jerseyville): 121 (+18)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 86 positives, 76 recoveries, one death
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62214 (Venedy, Addieville): 13
- 62263 (Nashville, New Minden): 26 (+4)
- 62271 (Okawville): 14 (+1)
- 62808 (Ashley): 9
- 62848 (Irvington): 8
BOND COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 97 positives, three deaths, 4,047 tests administered
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62246 (Greenville): 49
CALHOUN COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 19 positives, 14 recoveries
State, nation, world statistics
Here are the latest available statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus map as of Saturday afternoon:
- Illinois: 218,285 cases, 7,874 deaths
- U.S.: 5,664,736 cases, 176,321 deaths, 1,985,484 recoveries
- World: 23,110,732 cases, 802,610 deaths, 14,839,327 recoveries
St. Clair County, Madison County testing sites
Working with Illinois Department of Public Health and Southern Illinois Health Foundation, the St. Clair County Health Department is co-sponsoring the following drive thru test sites.
- Monday, Aug. 24, & Tuesday, Aug. 25: Southwestern Illinois College from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
- Tuesday, Aug. 25: Okaw Valley Park in New Athens from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 26: Dupo Park, 800 Bluffview Elementary Lane, from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 29, & Sunday, Aug. 30: St. Clair Square mall by the water tower from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
No appointment is necessary. Masks are required. Tests are free; people should bring their health insurance card if they have one. Testing is for adults and children over 3 years old.
Photo identification required. Tests will be done by throat swab by a medical professional, except at St. Clair Square mall, which will be a nasal swab.
Results may take up to a week to receive. Do not call for results. People will be contacted by the St. Clair County Health Department when the results are available.
Madison County is also hosting several test sites.
To view those, visit https://www.bnd.com/news/coronavirus/article244856052.html.
Want to help? Here are some ideas
The BND has compiled a list of ways you can help during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Go to BND. com to learn about the opportunities to volunteer your time or donate to help communities in the metro-east without putting yourself or others at risk.
You can sew face masks, read stories for people with vision loss and deliver meals to seniors.
If you know of a recognized charitable organization looking for help that isn’t listed, please tell us about it. Send an email to newsroom@bnd.com or fill out the BND’s Southwest Illinois Coronavirus Service and Assistance Guide online at BND.com.
Get the latest news on coronavirus
BND.com will keep you updated throughout the day with information about the spread of the coronavirus in southwestern Illinois.
You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:
- State of Illinois’ COVID-19 page: coronavirus.illinois.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
- Federal government’s coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Who to call about mental health
Here are some resources from mental health professionals for anyone struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Touchette Regional Hospital’s Mental Health Support and Resource Line: Call 618-482-7158 to talk to trained therapy staff.
- Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm: Text the word “talk” to 552020 to text with a mental health care professional for free.
- Centerstone of Illinois Inc.: Call 618-462-2331 for virtual mental health services.
- Chestnut Health Systems: Call 618-877-4420 for virtual mental health services.
- Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous: Call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com to learn about virtual meetings.
- Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Response Team: Call a support line for health care professionals at 618-381-5173.
Contact BND with tips, concerns, suggestions
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the COVID-19 pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
We’d like to hear from healthcare workers
The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We’re interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
Willing to share your COVID-19 story?
Have you recovered from coronavirus or are you in the process of recovering from COVID-19? We would like to hear from you on how you dealt with the respiratory disease. Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 8:14 PM.
