St. Clair County halts daily record streak of positive COVID cases
After two record-breaking days in a row for new COVID-19 cases, St. Clair County stopped this streak on Saturday when 268 cases were reported.
On Friday, there were 330 coronavirus cases, which was the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. This number topped Thursday’s total of 314.
Two deaths were reported Saturday for a total of 354 in the county since March. These persons were two women in their 90s with unknown health conditions.
St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency director Herb Simmons on Friday called the record number of positive cases the “holiday fallout from Christmas.”
During the county’s daily news briefing on coronavirus issues on Saturday, officials gave an update on the county’s voluntary sign-up service for individuals to be notified when they are eligible to get a coronavirus vaccination in the future.
About 15,000 people have signed up for the service as of Saturday.
Simmons and St. Clair County Health Department Emergency Response coordinator Sam Bierman stressed that the service was not for registering to receive a vaccine but instead for people to be notified when the shot would be available for them.
Simmons described the response to the new service as “overwhelming.”
You can access the form at the county’s website at www.co.st-clair.il.us.
Here are the early priority groups of people who can get the vaccination, according to the latest information from the Illinois Department of Public Health on the vaccine:
- Phase 1A: Health care personnel and people who live or work in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes.
- Phase 1B: People who are 65 years old or older; firefighters; police officers; corrections officers; food and agricultural workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; manufacturing workers; grocery store workers; public transit workers; teachers; school support staff members; and daycare workers.
- Phase 1C: People who are 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions (conditions include obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, a heart condition like high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, an impaired immune system, sickle cell and pregnancy) and people who work in transportation and logistics, water and wastewater, food service, housing construction, finance, information technology, communications, energy, legal services, media, public safety and public health.
Southwest Illinois hospital bed availability remains low for 12th straight day
For a 12th consecutive day, the metro-east region’s hospital bed availability remained under the state-set threshold of 20%, according to coronavirus statistics released Saturday by the state.
This 20% threshold plays a part in determining whether COVID-19 restrictions need to be tightened or relaxed. Currently, the entire state is in Tier 3 mitigations, which includes a ban on indoor dining and drinking.
About 88% of the metro-east’s staffed hospital beds are occupied and 82.6% of its intensive care unit beds are occupied, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
As of Saturday, 11.8% of the metro-east’s staffed hospital beds were available for patient use, up from 11.1% Friday, according to IDPH data. Additionally, 17.4% of the region’s intensive care unit beds were available, up from 16.8%.
The hospital statistics released Saturday are based on data from Friday, Jan. 8.
Restrictions on Illinois businesses could be lifted as early as Jan. 15, depending on the level of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in their communities, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said.
As of Saturday, the metro-east was not meeting the levels needed to have restrictions removed.
Officials picked Jan. 15 as the earliest date for that to happen because it is outside of the time frame when the state may see any potential surge in COVID-19 diagnoses from holiday gatherings.
Tier 3 restrictions went into place statewide on Nov. 20. The third tier tightens restrictions on indoor dining, bars and social gatherings while adding restrictions to casinos, retailers, video gaming and museums.
Officials in the metro-east have continuously warned about the possibility of the region running low on hospital and ICU beds, prompting some area hospitals to temporarily cease elective surgeries.
Region 4’s rolling seven-day average positivity rate is 13% , down from 13.5%. Additionally, the region reported a daily positivity rate of 10.4%, down from 13%, according to rates released Saturday.
One of the thresholds to have restrictions reduced calls for the region to get below a 12% positivity rate. The metro-east has not been below 12% since Christmas Day, when the rate was 11.7%.
The new testing positivity rates released Saturday are based on data recorded as of Wednesday, Jan. 6. A region’s positivity rate is its percentage of positive COVID-19 tests versus the number of tests taken over a seven-day period.
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.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths Saturday
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: 6,717 (-2,560)
New deaths: 101 (-25)
New tests: 102,903 (-15,762)
Total cases: 1,024,039
Total deaths: 17,494
Total tests: 14,025,514
Hospitalizations: 3,589 (-188)
People in ICU: 742 (-38)
People on ventilators: 393 (-29)
Statewide positivity rate (from Jan. 2-Jan. 8): 8.3% (-0.2)
Saturday’s breakdown for Region 4
New cases: 596 (St. Clair, Madison and Monroe counties reported cases.)
New deaths: 7 (St. Clair County reported two deaths, Madison County reported four deaths and Monroe County reported one death.)
Daily positivity rate (as of Wednesday): 10.4% (-2.7)
Seven-day rolling average positivity rate (as of Wednesday): 13% (-0.5)
Regional hospitalizations: 197 (-3) (provided by St. Clair County)
Regional patients on ventilators: 11 (-6) (provided by St. Clair County)
Hospital bed availability: 11.1% (-0.3%)
ICU bed availability: 16.8% (-3.2%)
New cases from nearby counties outside Region 4: None reported Saturday.
New deaths from nearby counties outside Region 4: None reported Saturday.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: 268 new positives, two new deaths, 1,973 new tests administered
Total overall: 22,981 positives, 354 deaths, 221,817 tests administered, 20,308 recoveries, 106 patients hospitalized with eight patients on ventilators
Additional data: Individuals who tested positives ranged from under the age of 10 to their 90s. Of the 268 new positives, 118 individuals were under the age of 40.
Congregate living facilities: Bria of Belleville reported one new case; Cedar Ridge reported one new case; Freeburg Care Center reported seven new cases; Integrity Healthcare of Belleville reported four new cases; Morningside of Shiloh reported one new case; and St. Paul’s Home reported two deaths.
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 9.3% (-2); seven-day average — 12.7% (-0.2))
MADISON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: 273 new new positives, four new deaths (all men, one in his 70s, two in their 80s and one in his 90s), 1,899 new tests administered
Total overall: 22,368 positives, 387 deaths, 204,270 tests administered, 13,183 recoveries, 53 patients hospitalized with three patients on ventilators
Additional data: Individuals who tested positive ranged from under the age of 10 to their 90s. Of the 273 new positives, 146 individuals were under the age of 40.
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 11.8% (-2.4); 7-day average — 13.2% (-0.3)
CLINTON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6 p.m.
Total overall: 4,754 positives, 76 deaths, 4,330 recoveries, 12 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 13% (-4.3); 7-day average — 13% (+0.4)
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6 p.m.
Total overall: 3,555 positives, 60 deaths, 3,297 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 8.3% (-2.7); 7-day average — 12% (-0.7)
MONROE COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: 55 new positives (which included test results from several previous days); one new death (a 92-year-old man who was a resident of a long-term care facility.)
Total overall: 3,429 positives, 62 deaths, 39 patients hospitalized
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 13.7% (+6.9); seven-day average — 13.7% (-0.3)
BOND COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6 p.m.
Total overall: 1,774 positives, 17 deaths, 35,536 tests administered
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 3.5% (-17); seven-day average — 10.4% (-2.3)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6 p.m.
Total overall: 1,374 positives, 23 deaths, 1,208 recoveries, seven hospitalizations
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 18% (-4); 7-day average — 25.9 (-0.9)
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6:30 p.m.
Total overall: 3,629 positives, 89 deaths, 2,117 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 12.8% (+2.8); 7-day average — 9.4% (+0.7)
JERSEY COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6:30 p.m.
Total overall: 2,057 positives, 31 deaths, 19,541 tests administered, 1,937 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 10.7% (+2.7); 7-day average — 10.7% (+1)
PERRY COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6:30 p.m.
Total overall: 2,560 positives, 52 deaths, 2,145 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 5.6% (-5.1); 7-day average — 11.1% (-3.5)
CALHOUN COUNTY
Saturday’s new data: No new data as of 6:30 p.m.
Total overall: 421 positives, three deaths, 372 recoveries
Positivity rates (as of Wednesday): Daily — 0.0% (Same as Tuesday); 7-day average — 11.8% (-2.3)
Editor’s note: The number of new COVID-19 cases for ZIP codes in each county is 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 Saturday night.
- Illinois: 1,024,039 cases, 17,494 deaths, 14,025,514 tests
- U.S.: 22,110,203 cases, 372,152 deaths
- World: 89,544,802 cases, 1,924,331 deaths, 49,683,998 recoveries
Testing sites in southwestern Illinois
Here are some upcoming coronavirus testing options:
- 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.
Additionally, St. Clair County has a new service center at 330 W. Main St. in Belleville. The regular hours for the location are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays.
Touchette Regional Hospital and Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation also offer daily testing in Belleville and Wood River. Call 618-646-2596 for an appointment.
This story was originally published January 9, 2021 at 8:53 PM.
