More restrictions inevitable, Southwest IL official says as positivity increases again
St. Clair County officials are warning that people should prepare for further rollbacks as the region’s positivity rate continued to rise Sunday.
The rate rose to 10.5%, Sunday, up from 10.4% Saturday. The Illinois Department of Public Health has provided the rate since June 26 at dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics and defines the region as St. Clair, Madison, Randolph, Clinton, Monroe, Bond and Washington counties.
During the county’s weekly COVID-19 Q&A, St. Clair County Chairman Mark Kern said it’s unlikely Region 4’s positivity rate will drop below 8% by the state’s deadline to do so, Wednesday, Sept. 2.
“I don’t believe it’s possible to get down to the level the state wants to see by Wednesday,” Kern said. “So we have to prepare to roll back.”
He said St. Clair County’s numbers and some nearby counties’ positivity rates have dropped, but the region as a whole hasn’t seen any significant drop in the rate.
The second tier of restrictions involves closing inside dine-in bars and restaurants, along with a number of other “mitigation efforts” the state will impose in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Three days straight of positivity rates above 8% last week triggered tighter restrictions for bars and restaurants in the area. A new deadline for still stricter regulations arrives on Sept. 2.
Information on the website is delayed by three days, so Thursday is the latest date information was available for Sunday.
The statewide positivity was not readily available Sunday.
St. Clair County reported 18 new positive test results on Sunday, down significantly from the 92 cases reported Saturday. The county reported gathering 381 tests samples on Sunday.
The county also is currently seeing its lowest positivity rate since the pandemic started, Kern said.
Madison County reported 65 new positives cases Sunday out of 513 tests.
As of Sunday, 30% of the region’s hospital beds and 41% of the ICU beds are available, the same as Saturday, according to state health officials.
Elsewhere in the metro-east, Monroe County reported six new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 445. Clinton, Bond, Washington and Randolph did not report data on daily COVID-19 cases.
St. Clair County’s latest rundown
St. Clair County has now recorded a total of 5,794 COVID-19 diagnoses and 174 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The county announced a daily positivity rate of 5% on Sunday, down from 8.8% on Saturday. The daily positivity rate is the percentage of positives from a day’s worth of coronavirus tests.
Officials announced on Sunday that 52 people were receiving treatment for COVID-19 in St. Clair County hospitals with two of those individuals on ventilators, two less than Saturday.
The newly diagnosed St. Clair County residents ranged in age from teenage to people in their 80s. No additional information was immediately available on those patients.
There were no new cases at congregate or long-term care facilities.
Madison County by the numbers
Madison County has recorded 3,947 diagnoses and 96 deaths.
The county reported a daily positivity rate of 12.67% on Sunday, up from 9.85% on Saturday. The county’s three-day positivity rate decreased from 11.59% to 11.54% and its seven-day moving average positivity rate rose from 11.56% to 12.04%.
The latest residents to be diagnosed ranged in age from under 10 to in their 80s. Of the 65 new cases, 52 of them were in their 40s or younger.
Additionally, officials said 34 people were hospitalized in the county, up from 30 on Saturday. Also, officials reported eight patients were on ventilators as of Sunday.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,992 new cases of the virus on Sunday and 11 additional virus-related deaths.
A total of 233,355 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19. More than 4 million tests have been conducted for COVID-19.
As of Saturday afternoon, 1,582 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those patients, 328 were in the ICU — down from 349 on Friday — and 155 were on ventilators — up from 134 on Friday .
The statewide positivity rate from August 22-28 is 4%, 0.1% lower than on Friday.
Southwestern Illinois COVID-19 statistics
ZIP-code-level numbers below are provided by the state each afternoon at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics. Madison and Macoupin counties compile their own statistics by ZIP code 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 county health departments provide.
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:
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: 19 positives, 381 tests administered, 60 recoveries, five additional hospitalizations
Total overall: 5,794 positives, 174 deaths, 62,650 tests administered, 4,963 recoveries, 52 hospitalizations, two people on ventilators
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62059 (Brooklyn): 11
- 62201 (East St. Louis): 220
- 62203 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington Park, Caseyville): 177
- 62204 (East St. Louis): 127
- 62205 (East St. Louis, Alorton, Centreville): 177
- 62206 (East St. Louis, Cahokia): 403
- 62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): 228
- 62208 (Fairview Heights): 348 (+2)
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 457 (+4)
- 62221 (Belleville): 554 (+3)
- 62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 330 (+1)
- 62225 (Scott Air Force Base): 23
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea): 615 (+1)
- 62232 (Fairview Heights, Caseyville): 149 (+3)
- 62239 (Dupo): 80
- 62240 (Dupo): 27 (+1)
- 62243 (Freeburg): 75 (+1)
- 62254 (Lebanon): 193
- 62255 (Lenzburg): 15
- 62257 (Marissa): 31
- 62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): 135
- 62260 (Millstadt): 97
- 62264 (New Athens): 84
- 62269 (O’Fallon): 446 (+1)
- 62282 (St. Libory): 8
- 62285 (Smithton): 62
MADISON COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: 65 new positives, 513 new tests administered
Total overall: 3,947 positives, 96 deaths, 56,518 tests administered, 1,796 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62001 (Kaufman, Alhambra): 18
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 585
- 62010 (Bethalto): 174
- 62012 (Godfrey): 92
- 62018 (Alton, Bethalto, East Alton): 44
- 62021 (Dorsey): 11
- 62024 (East Alton): 82
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 506
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 215
- 62035 (Godfrey): 248
- 62040 (Granite City, Pontoon Beach): 694
- 62046 (Hamel): 6
- 62048 (Edwardsville, Granite City, Roxana, Hartford): 8
- 62060 (Granite City, Madison, Venice): 94
- 62061 (Marine): 23
- 62062 (Maryville): 91
- 62067 (Moro): 40
- 62084 (Edwardsville, Wood River, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, South Roxana): 16
- 62087 (Edwardsville, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford): 22
- 62090 (Madison, Venice): 30
- 62095 (Wood River): 132
- 62097 (Prairietown, Worden): 34
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park Place): 572
- 62249 (Highland): 242
- 62281 (St. Jacob): 45
- 62294 (Troy): 176
62275 (Pocahontas, Old Ripley, Jamestown): 32
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 724 positives, eight deaths, 8,710 tests administered, 552 recoveries, one hospitalization
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62217 (Baldwin): 13
- 62233 (Chester): 273
- 62237 (Coulterville): 48
- 62241 (Ellis Grove): 13
- 62242 (Evansville): 14
- 62272 (Willisville, Percy): 62
- 62278 (Red Bud): 102
- 62286 (Sparta): 122
- 62288 (Steeleville): 92
- 62292 (Tilden): 6
- 62297 (Walsh): 6
- 62916 (Campbell Hill): 9
CLINTON COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 699 positives, 17 deaths, 442 recoveries, five hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62215 (Albers, Damiansville): 30
- 62216 (Aviston): 58
- 62218 (Bartelso): 36
- 62230 (Breese): 98
- 62231 (Carlyle): 160
- 62245 (Germantown): 30
- 62265 (New Baden): 106
- 62293 (Trenton): 87
- 62801 (Centralia): 168
MONROE COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: Six new positives
Total overall: 452 positives, 13 deaths
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62236 (Columbia): 191
- 62295 (Valmeyer): 20
- 62298 (Waterloo): 206
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 371 positives, five deaths, 14,733 tests administered with 32 results pending, 93 recoveries, four hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62009 (Benld, Sawyerville, Mount Clare): 7
- 62012 (Brighton): 92
62014 (Bunker Hill): 27
62033 (Gillespie): 63
62069 (Mount Olive): 26
- 62088 (Staunton): 61
- 62626 (Carlinville): 41
- 62640 (Girard): 10
- 62674 (Palmyra, Barr): 10
- 62685 (Royal Lakes, Plainview, Shipman): 10
- 62690 (Virden): 20
PERRY COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 284 positives, eight deaths, 215 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62238 (Cutler): 13
- 62274 (Pinckneyville): 141
- 62832 (Du Quoin): 83
- 62888 (Tamaroa): 19
JERSEY COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 259 positives, five deaths, 127 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62022 (Newbern): 14
- 62031 (Fieldon): 9
- 62037 (Grafton): 26
- 62052 (Jerseyville): 162
BOND COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 132 positives, three deaths, 8,790 tests administered, one hospitalization
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62246 (Greenville): 77
- 62262 (Mulberry Grove): 10
- 62275 (Pocahontas, Old Ripley): 45
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 119 positives, one death, 84 recoveries, four hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62214 (Venedy, Addieville): 9
- 62263 (Nashville, New Minden): 38
- 62268 (Oakdale): 7
- 62271 (Okawville): 17
- 62808 (Ashley): 10
- 62848 (Irvington): 12
CALHOUN COUNTY
Sunday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 27 positives, 17 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62047 (Hardin): 6
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 Sunday afternoon:
- Illinois: 233,355 cases, 8,019 deaths
- U.S.: 5,9974,543 cases, 182,611 deaths, 3,196,366 recoveries
- World: 25,051,178 cases, 843,586 deaths, 16,451,018 recoveries
St. Clair County, Madison, Clinton counties testing sites
The following test sites will be open to the public this week:
Monday, Aug. 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 1: Clinton County Fairgrounds, Carlyle, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Must have a valid phone number.
No appointment is necessary. Masks are required.
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 30, 2020 at 4:53 PM.