St. Clair County officials stress safety, accountability at holiday gatherings
St. Clair County officials reiterated their COVID-19-related holiday message during Thursday’s daily briefing: Exercise caution.
With Thursday being Christmas Eve and Christmas on Friday, county officials asked the community to act responsibly at holiday gatherings and adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
“Hopefully Santa Claus is going to take care of everyone,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said. “We need to remember if you are gathering tonight, please wear your masks. Watch that 6-foot distancing. And also make sure everyone is washing their hands and that surfaces are sanitized wherever you’re going to be.
“If you can crack a window, have a little airflow — I know it’s cold outside — but that seems to be something that’s recommended when people gather so we don’t have a super-spreader situation after Christmas.”
St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons urged people to take responsibility for their actions.
“We all have input in this. We can all take responsibility. Now’s a good time to show that,” he said. “If you are going to get together over these holidays, just do it responsibly. Nobody can do it for us. We have to do it ourselves. Just be responsible and considerate to others. If you’ve got to get together, just make sure you’re making those wise decisions, because we don’t want to see that surge.
“We escaped it through the Thanksgiving holiday, and it would sure be nice for all of us if we can be responsible enough to see it through Christmas and the New Year. Let’s all be safe.”
Overloading already-crowded hospitals is among their concerns. Over the past weeks, officials have warned about the possibility of the region running low on hospital and ICU beds, prompting some area hospitals to temporarily cease elective surgeries.
Metro-east’s positivity rate, hospital bed availability
The metro-east’s rolling seven-day average positivity rate for COVID-19 tests again stayed below a key threshold for a fifth consecutive day Thursday.
So has the percentage of available hospital and intensive care unit beds.
Region 4’s positivity rate was 11.6% on Thursday, down from 11.8% on Wednesday, marking the fifth consecutive day the rate has been below 12%.
The new rate is based on tests recorded as of Dec. 21. A region’s positivity rate is its percentage of positive COVID-19 tests versus the number of tests taken over a seven-day period.
For Tier 3 mitigation metrics to be relaxed or to move to Tier 2, the region must experience a less than 12% seven-day rolling average positivity rate for three consecutive days while also seeing 20% available intensive care unit and medical/surgical bed availability for three consecutive days.
The state classifies the metro-east as Region 4, which covers seven counties: St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Bond, Washington, Clinton and Randolph. County-by-county data is available on the state health department’s website.
But last week Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, while numbers are heading in the right direction, the state may not be ready for relaxed mitigations in any of its 11 regions. State health officials also are worried about upcoming holiday gatherings and the possible effect on new cases further straining hospital capacity, he said.
Tier 3 restrictions went into place statewide on Friday, Nov. 20. The third tier tightens restrictions on indoor dining, bars and social gatherings while adding restrictions to casinos, retailers, video gaming and museums.
Additionally, the region reported a daily positivity rate of 13.6% on Thursday, up from 11.7% on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the metro-east’s hospital bed availability fell again Thursday ahead of Christmas celebrations some officials worry could bring on a spike in COVID-19 cases.
As of Thursday, 15.4% of the metro-east’s staffed hospital beds were available for patient use, down from 15.5% on Wednesday according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. The metro-east’s hospital bed availability has been under that threshold since Nov. 16. The region’s intensive care unit availability, however, was at 18.2% on Thursday, up from 17.9% on Wednesday.
Over the past weeks, officials have warned about the possibility of the region running low on hospital and ICU beds, prompting some area hospitals to temporarily cease elective surgeries.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths Thursday
This information is provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The number in parentheses shows the difference from the previous day’s increase or total.
New cases: 7,037 (+275)
New deaths: 96 (-39)
New tests: 94,909 (+12,581)
Total cases: 925,107
Total deaths: 15,643
Total tests: 12,782,980
Hospitalizations: 4,488 (-105)
People in ICU: 944 (-9)
People on ventilators: 518 (-18)
Statewide positivity rate (from Dec. 17-23): 7.2% (-1.8%)
Thursday’s breakdown for Region 4
New cases (as of 11 a.m. on Friday; includes Tuesday-Wednesday data from Bond County): 528 (+73)
New deaths (as of 11 a.m. on Monday; includes Tuesday-Wednesday data from Bond County): 3 (-14) (Bond County reported 2 new deaths)
Daily positivity rate (as of Monday): 13.6% (+1.9%)
Seven-day rolling average positivity rate (as of Monday): 11.6% (-0.2%)
Regional hospitalizations: 194 (-27) (provided by St. Clair County)
Regional patients on ventilators: 15 (-1) (provided by St. Clair County)
Hospital bed availability: 15.4% (-0.1%)
ICU bed availability: 18.2% (+0.3%)
New cases from nearby counties outside Region 4 (as of 4 p.m.): 0 (-76)
New deaths from nearby counties outside Region 4 (as of 4 p.m.): 0 (-3)
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 199 new positives, 1,804 new tests administered, 196 new recoveries, 2 fewer patients hospitalized
Total overall: 19,779 positives, 306 deaths, 199,214 tests administered, 17,849 recoveries, 112 patients hospitalized with 9 patients on ventilators
Additional data: New positives include residents who ranged in age from under 1 up to the 90s. Of the 199 new positives, 98 were individuals under the age of 40.
Congregate living facilities: Mercy Rehab and Care Center in Swansea reported 5 new cases; Cedarhurst of Shiloh reported 1 new case; and St. Paul’s Home in Belleville announced new cases (exact total was not reported).
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 11.7% (+2.3%); 7-day average — 10.1% (-0.3%)
MADISON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 165 new positives, 1,812 new tests administered, 123 new recoveries, 17 fewer patients hospitalized, 3 fewer patients on ventilators
Total overall: 19,585 positives, 350 deaths, 184,259 tests administered, 10,574 recoveries, 52 patients hospitalized with 5 patients on ventilators
Additional data: New positives include residents who ranged in age from under 10 up to the 90s. Of the 165 new positives, 72 were individuals under the age of 40.
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 11.8% (-2.0%); 7-day average — 12.5% (-0.3%)
CLINTON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data as of 11 a.m. on Friday
Total overall: 4,267 positives, 75 deaths, 3,695 recoveries, 13 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 15.3% (+8.3%); 7-day average — 12.2% (-0.8%)
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 37 new cases
Total overall: 3,163 positives, 43 deaths, 2,865 recoveries, 5 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 20.7% (+7.3%); 7-day average — 12.2% (+1.2%)
MONROE COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 50 new positives, 1 additional patient hospitalized
Total overall:: 2,944 positives, 56 deaths, 25 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 11.0% (-6.7%); 7-day average — 13.7% (-0.7%)
BOND COUNTY
Thursday’s new data (includes data from Tuesday-Wednesday): 41 new cases, 2 new deaths, 320 new tests administered
Total overall: 1,595 positives, 16 deaths, 34,922 tests administered
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 36.9% (-25.4%); 7-day average — 11.8% (+2.9%)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data as of 11 a.m. on Friday
Total overall: 1,116 positives, 19 deaths, 964 recoveries, 2 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 18.6% (-7.7%); 7-day average — 15.4% (-1.8%)
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data as of 11 a.m. on Friday
Total overall: 3,239 positives, 79 deaths, 1,326 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 6.1% (-0.6%); 7-day average — 8.4% (-0.4%)
JERSEY COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data as of 11 a.m. on Friday
Total overall: 1,823 positives, 26 deaths, 17,213 tests administered, 1,636 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 13.0% (-2.6%); 7-day average — 10.2% (-0.2%)
PERRY COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 32 new cases
Total overall: 1,981 positives, 47 deaths, 1,492 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 17.9% (-43.3%); 7-day average — 21.7% (-0.4%)
CALHOUN COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 4 new cases, one new death
Total overall: 381 positives, 3 deaths, 355 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Monday): Daily — 0.0% (-9.5%); 7-day average — 7.9% (-0.7%)
Editor’s note: The number of new COVID-19 cases for ZIP codes in each county are reported on Mondays. Information comes from county sources and the IDPH website.
State, nation, world COVID-19 statistics
Here are the latest available statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus map as of Thursday afternoon:
- Illinois: 925,107 cases, 15,643 deaths, 12,782,980 tests
- U.S.: 18,917,152 cases, 334,218 deaths, 11,101,866 recoveries
- World: 79,057,616 cases, 1,737,751 deaths, 55,648,937 recoveries
Testing sites in southwestern Illinois
Here are some upcoming coronavirus testing options:
- Saturday, Dec. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center, 200 S. Belt East, #2650.
Monday, Dec. 28: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Monroe County Annex, 901 Illinois Ave., Waterloo
- Wednesday, Dec. 30: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Monroe County Annex, 901 Illinois Ave., Waterloo
- Thursday, Dec. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center, 200 S. Belt E. #2650
- Saturday, Jan. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center, 200 S. Belt East, #2650
- Every Tuesday and Thursday: 9-11 a.m. COVID-19 rapid testing at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, 1899 Methodist St., Carlyle
The testing site at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis has been moved to St. Clair Square mall, behind Dillards. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. It’s a drive-thru with four tents, allowing people to stay in their cars.
The Illinois Department of Public Health will continue to deploy mobile testing teams to locations in East St. Louis, including to 4601 State St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday and Monday. Capacity is limited, and hours of operation are subject to change based on available equipment.
In addition, St. Clair County hosted a “soft opening” of its new service center on Tuesday at 330 W. Main St. in Belleville. Here are the available testing dates and times:
- Monday, Dec. 28; Tuesday, Dec. 29; and Wednesday, Dec. 30 (holiday hours): 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The regular hours for the location starting Monday, Jan. 4, will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.
“To get the new location at the old bank building up and going within about a five or six week time, it’s remarkable the job everyone has done,” Simmons said. “It’s going to be great to have a central location that is being used for a testing site and once the vaccine gets in place, it’s going to really be great. I think it’s really going to be a smooth operation that we can all be happy it came together so quickly.”
Touchette Regional Hospital and Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation offer daily testing in Belleville and Wood River. Call 618-646-2596 for an appointment.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 4:26 PM.