Southwest IL COVID positivity rate decreases as new state restrictions draw closer
The metro-east’s positivity rate decreased slightly Monday, just days away from possible new state-imposed restrictions to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
The rate fell to 10.4%, Monday, down from 10.5% Sunday. 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.
Three consecutive days of positivity rates above 8% triggered tighter restrictions for bars and restaurants in the area recently. A new deadline for still stricter regulations arrives on Wednesday.
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.
Information on the website is delayed by three days, so Friday is the latest date information was available for Monday.
The statewide positivity for Aug. 24-30 is 4.1%.
Madison County reported 56 new positive test results for COVID-19 Monday and two additional deaths, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s. No additional information on the men was reported by the county.
St. Clair County also reported 56 new positive test results on Monday, up from the 18 cases reported Sunday. The county reported gathering 982 tests samples on Monday, up nearly 600 from the tests reported Sunday.
The county also is currently seeing its lowest positivity rate since the pandemic started, Kern said.
As of Monday, 30% of the region’s hospital beds and 40% of the ICU beds are available, according to state health officials.
Elsewhere in the metro-east, Monroe County reported one new case of COVID-19 and Randolph County reported three new cases. Clinton, Bond and Washington counties had not reported data on daily COVID-19 cases.
As of 6 p.m. Region 4 had reported 116 additional cases of COVID-19.
St. Clair County’s latest rundown
St. Clair County has now recorded a total of 5,850 COVID-19 diagnoses and 174 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The county announced a daily positivity rate of 5.7% on Monday, up from 5% on Sunday. The daily positivity rate is the percentage of positives from a day’s worth of coronavirus tests.
Officials announced on Monday that 43 people were receiving treatment for COVID-19 in St. Clair County hospitals with four of those individuals on ventilators, two more than Sunday.
The newly diagnosed St. Clair County residents ranged in age from teenagers to people in their 80s. No additional information was immediately available on those patients.
There were five new cases at congregate living homes in St. Clair County reported Monday; four new cases at Lebanon Care Center and one new case at Mercy Rehab and Care Center in Swansea.
The county saw no double-digit increases in cases in any of its zip codes.
Madison County by the numbers
Madison County has recorded 4,003 diagnoses and 98 deaths.
The county reported a daily positivity rate of 13.24% on Monday, up from 12.67% on Sunday. The county’s three-day positivity rate decreased from 11.54% to 11.50% and its seven-day moving average positivity rate fell from 12.04% to 11.50%.
The latest residents to be diagnosed ranged in age from under 10 to in their 80s. Of the 56 new cases, 25 of them were in their 40s or younger.
Additionally, officials said 32 people were hospitalized in the county, down from 35 on Sunday. Also, officials reported nine patients were on ventilators as of Monday.
Staff members test positive at local schools
Staff members of Belleville Township High School 201 have tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Brian Mentzer confirmed Monday. He declined to say how many.
The district started the school year remotely, and the earliest students will return to in-person learning is Sept. 11. Meanwhile, staff are working from school, while wearing masks and conducting health check-ins.
Many school districts is St. Clair and Madison Counties are not publicly sharing the number of cases in schools. The health departments for both counties have also said they will not be sharing that information. Individuals who may have been exposed to coronavirus will be contacted directly through contact tracing.
Mentzer said the positive cases in Belleville 201 were not linked back to the school district buildings.
“I will say that we will take our guidance from the St. Clair County Health Department ... if there ever were a situation where there was some sort of transmission at school,” he said.
At O’Fallon Township High School, four individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 10, Superintendent Darcy Benway said via email Monday. One of the four cases is a student who was remote learning. They have not been on either of the district’s two campuses.
Students at OTHS are learning remotely, while staff still report to their buildings to work from their classrooms and offices. For the first week of school, students rotated through in-person orientation to prepare for remote learning, while keeping student capacity down.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 1,668 new cases of the virus on Monday and seven additional virus-related deaths.
A total of 235,023 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19. More than 4 million tests have been conducted for COVID-19, with 47,379 of those tests being performed within the last 24 hours.
As of Sunday afternoon, 1,492 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those patients, 347 were in the ICU — up from 328 on Saturday — and 157 were on ventilators — up from 155 on Saturday.
The statewide positivity rate from August 24-30 is 4.1%.
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
Monday’s new data: 56 positives, 982 tests administered, 68 recoveries, six fewer hospitalizations
Total overall: 5,850 positives, 174 deaths, 62,232 tests administered, 5,031 recoveries, 46 hospitalizations, four 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): 404 (+1)
- 62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): 230 (+2)
- 62208 (Fairview Heights): 348
- 62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 458 (+1)
- 62221 (Belleville): 557 (+3)
- 62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 331 (+1)
- 62225 (Scott Air Force Base): 23
- 62226 (Belleville, Swansea): 618 (+3)
- 62232 (Fairview Heights, Caseyville): 150 (+1)
- 62239 (Dupo): 80
- 62240 (Dupo): 27
- 62243 (Freeburg): 76 (+1)
- 62254 (Lebanon): 193
- 62255 (Lenzburg): 15
- 62257 (Marissa): 31
- 62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): 136 (+1)
- 62260 (Millstadt): 98 (+1)
- 62264 (New Athens): 84
- 62269 (O’Fallon): 449 (+3)
- 62282 (St. Libory): 8
- 62285 (Smithton): 62
MADISON COUNTY
Monday’s new data: 56 new positives, 423 new tests administered, two new deaths, 15 new recoveries
Total overall: 4,003 positives, 98 deaths, 56,941 tests administered, 1,811 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62001 (Kaufman, Alhambra): 18
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 591 (+6)
- 62010 (Bethalto): 173
- 62012 (Godfrey): 15
- 62018 (Alton, Bethalto, East Alton): 44
- 62021 (Dorsey): 10
- 62024 (East Alton): 84 (+2)
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 516 (+10)
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 215
- 62035 (Godfrey): 253 (+5)
- 62040 (Granite City, Pontoon Beach): 619
- 62046 (Hamel): 6
- 62048 (Edwardsville, Granite City, Roxana, Hartford): 8
- 62060 (Granite City, Madison, Venice): 97 (+3)
- 62061 (Marine): 24 (+1)
- 62062 (Maryville): 89
- 62067 (Moro): 40
- 62084 (Edwardsville, Wood River, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, South Roxana): 16
- 62087 (Edwardsville, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford): 21
- 62090 (Madison, Venice): 30
- 62095 (Wood River): 133 (+1)
- 62097 (Prairietown, Worden): 37 (+3)
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park Place): 448
- 62249 (Highland): 245 (+3)
- 62281 (St. Jacob): 41
- 62294 (Troy): 183 (+7)
62275 (Pocahontas, Old Ripley, Jamestown): 17
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Monday’s new data: Three new positives
Total overall: 757 positives, eight deaths, 8,257 tests administered, 616 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
Monday’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
Monday’s new data: One new positive
Total overall: 453 positives, 13 deaths
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62236 (Columbia): 191
- 62295 (Valmeyer): 20
- 62298 (Waterloo): 206
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Monday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 383 positives, five deaths, 15,172 tests administered, 101 recoveries, five 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
Monday’s new data: 9 new positives, 13 new recoveries
Total overall: 298 positives, eight deaths, 228 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62238 (Cutler): 13
- 62274 (Pinckneyville): 141
- 62832 (Du Quoin): 83
- 62888 (Tamaroa): 19
JERSEY COUNTY
Monday’s new data: Three new positives
Total overall: 280 positives, six deaths, 127 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62022 (Newbern): 14
- 62031 (Fieldon): 9
- 62037 (Grafton): 26
- 62052 (Jerseyville): 162
BOND COUNTY
Monday’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
Monday’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
Monday’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 Monday afternoon:
- Illinois: 235,023 cases, 8,026 deaths
- U.S.: 6,008,376 cases, 182,986 deaths, 3,292,467 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 31, 2020 at 4:21 PM.
