IL silence on vaccine could delay mass COVID vaccination hub in St. Clair County
St. Clair County officials said Tuesday the opening of a mass vaccination site at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds scheduled for this coming Monday may be delayed due to lacking vaccine and staff availability.
County Chairman Mark Kern said the site, which is located at 200 South Belt East in Belleville and will be staffed by healthcare workers and National Guard members, cannot start administering vaccines until the Illinois Department of Public Health gives official word on how many vaccines and guardsmen will be available to the county.
“We’re not really hearing from the state the amount of vaccine that’s going to be available or the amount of personnel that will be available and when they’ll be here,” Kern said. “While our goal is still to get up and running Monday, we hope our partners with the state of Illinois are going to get us some answers so we can inform the public and let them know when to make appointments.”
County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said the county is preparing a call center and online portal for scheduling vaccination appointments, but noted that they can’t be launched until the county has an idea of how many people they’ll have to staff the site and how many doses they’ll have on hand each day.
“We’re working on this every day,” Simmons said. “Please hang in there. Once we know how much we’re getting we’ll send out those notifications.”
The county is currently vaccinating the 1B vaccination group.
There are about 3.2 million Illinoisans in Phase 1B. They include:
People who are 65 years old or older
Firefighters
Law enforcement officers
911 workers
Security personnel
Teachers, principals and school support staff members
Daycare workers
Food and agriculture workers
Manufacturing workers
Corrections workers and inmates
U.S. Postal Service workers
Public transit workers, including those who work for ride-sharing services
Grocery store workers
Staff members at homeless shelters and women’s shelters
St. Clair County is starting with vaccinations for individuals 75 or older in an effort to vaccinate people who are at higher risk earlier in the 1B stage.
Kern said once the county begins vaccinations at the site, it’s hoped that 1,200 doses of vaccine will be administered every day in St. Clair County.
“We have to know we’re going to have 1,200 doses a day,” Kern said. “Until we get confirmation from the State of Illinois that that vaccine definitely will be here we are not going to be able to make those appointments.”
Simmons said the county hopes to have an answer in the coming days so appointments can begin to be made.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed we’ll get that call today or tomorrow,” Simmons said.
Vaccine update for metro-east
As of Tuesday, 5,417 people have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the metro-east’s seven counties, up from 5,003 Monday. Meanwhile, a total of 28,758 shots have been administered, up from 27,519 the previous day, according to data from the state health department.
Madison County has administered the most vaccines in the region, with a total of 10,091 as of Tuesday, and had fully vaccinated the most individuals at 2,079.
Here is the percentage of each county’s population considered fully vaccinated with both doses of either vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna, according to state data Monday.
- Clinton County: 1.18%
- Randolph County: 1.09%
- Bond County: 0.79%
- Washington County: 0.81%
- Madison County: 0.72%
- St. Clair County: 0.71%
- Monroe County: 0.63%
Meanwhile, the state reported Monday that roughly 1.14% of its entire population, has been fully vaccinated, or 145,772 individuals.
While supplies are limited, only select groups are eligible to get vaccinated. The initial phase of Illinois’ vaccine distribution plan, known as Phase 1A, included health care workers and people who live or work in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes.
Vaccinations of the 1A group began in mid-December and have been ongoing since. Phase 1B began Monday statewide. Those eligible in 1B include people who are 65 years old or older and essential workers.
Vaccinations in Phase 1B will be by appointment only at some pharmacies, as well as state-run and locally run clinics. More detailed information about locations will be announced at coronavirus.illinois.gov, state officials said Friday.
These are the ways to let your county health department know you are interested in setting up a COVID-19 vaccine appointment when you become eligible:
- St. Clair County: Fill out the COVID-19 Notification for Vaccine Availability form online at health.co.st-clair.il.us. (If you don’t have internet access or need help signing up, call the health department at 618-825-4447.)
- Madison County: Fill out the Madison County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Survey online at madisonchd.org.
- Clinton County: Fill out the Clinton County, IL Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Registry online at clintoncountyhealth.com or call the health department at 618-594-6622 to be added to the vaccine waitlist. (The waitlist is currently only for residents who are 65 years or older. You don’t need to fill out the form if you already called to get on the waitlist.)
- Monroe County: Sign up for the phone and email alert system CodeRED.
- Randolph County: Call the health department at 618-826-5007 or fill out one of the following vaccine waiting lists: Memorial Hospital COVID-19 Vaccination Sign-Up online at mhchester.com/covidvax; or Red Bud Regional Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Waiting List online at redbudanytime.com. (The waitlists are currently only for residents who are 65 years old or older.)
- Bond County: Fill out the Bond County, IL Health Department COVID-19 Vaccine Registry online at bchd.us to be added to the vaccine waitlist. (The waitlist is currently only for residents who are 65 years old or older, health care workers and frontline essential workers, including teachers, first responders and grocery store employees. You do not need to fill out the form if you already called the health department to get on the waitlist.)
- Washington County: Call the health department at 618-327-3644 to be added to the vaccine waitlist. (The waitlist is currently only for residents who are 65 years old or older.)
COVID-19 case rate continues to fall in metro-east
The metro-east’s COVID-19 seven-day average positivity rate on Tuesday continued to fall, but another key metric that could loosen restrictions on indoor dining hasn’t been met.
The positivity rate, which is one measure the state uses to determine whether virus mitigation efforts should be strengthened or loosened, fell to 7.7% Tuesday from 7.8% Monday, marking the lowest the rate has been since Oct. 19.
However, the region’s intensive care unit bed availability stood at 19% Tuesday, meaning the region hasn’t met all the metrics needed to move it to the Rebuild Illinois Plan’s Tier 1 restrictions. The region is now under Tier 2 restrictions.
The region must meet the following metrics to move to Tier 1:
- Test positivity rate between 6.5% and 8% for three consecutive days on a seven-day average
- Staffed ICU bed availability must be at 20% or more for three consecutive days on a seven-day average
- No sustained increase in COVID patients in the hospital on a seven-day average for seven of 10 days
The region has had eight days of COVID-19 patient decreases as of Tuesday.
The metro-east officially received word it would move into Tier 2 restrictions as part of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Rebuild Illinois plan Friday. The area was the last remaining region in Illinois to remain under the state’s tightest COVID-19 restrictions.
Tier 2 still bans indoor service at bars and restaurants but loosens restrictions on casinos, video gambling, youth sports and museums. If the region meets additional requirements, it could move into Tier 1, which allows indoor dining with the lesser of 25 patrons or 25% capacity.
Region 4 includes St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph and Washington counties.
The region also reported a daily positivity rate of 7.7% on Tuesday, up slightly from 6.9% on Monday.
The new testing positivity rate is based on data recorded as of Jan. 23. A region’s positivity rate is its percentage of positive COVID-19 tests versus the number of tests taken over a seven-day period.
Illinois reports new COVID cases, deaths Tuesday
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 of COVID-19: 3,667 (+673)
New deaths: 87 (+38)
New COVID-19 tests: 74,202 (-4,917)
Total cases: 1,108,430
Total deaths: 18,883
Total tests: 15,553,319
Total Illinoisans fully vaccinated against COVID-19: 145,772, or 1.14% of the population
Total vaccine doses administered: 719,995 (+27,323)
Hospitalizations: 3,001 (+39)
People in ICU: 608 (+7)
People on ventilators: 320(-19)
Statewide positivity rate (from Jan. 19-25): 4.6% (-0.1)
Tuesday’s breakdown for Region 4
New cases: 257
New deaths: 13 (St. Clair County reported 5 deaths, Randolph County reported 3 and Madison County reported 5)
Total vaccines doses administered: 28,758 (+1,239)
Daily positivity rate (as of Saturday): 7.7% (+0.8)
7-day average positivity rate (as of Saturday): 7.7% (-0.1)
Regional hospitalizations: 166 (-2) (provided by St. Clair County)
Regional patients on ventilators: 9 (-5) (provided by St. Clair County)
ICU bed availability (as of Sunday): 19% (No change from Monday)
New cases from nearby counties outside Region 4: 15
New deaths from nearby counties outside Region 4: 2 (Jersey and Perry counties each reported a death)
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 71 new positives, 5 new deaths, 1,014 new tests administered, 3 fewer patients hospitalized, 5 fewer patients on a ventilator
Total overall: 25,499 positives, 398 deaths, 248,112 tests administered, 23,777 recoveries, 94 patients hospitalized with 3 on ventilators
Vaccines administered: 435 doses Monday, bringing the total to 9,894
Additional data: Individuals who tested positive ranged in age from under 10 to their 90s. Of the 79 new positives, 41 individuals were under the age of 40.
Congregate living facilities: Cedar Ridge of Lebanon reported one new case and one new death, Freeburg Care Center reported two new deaths, Integrity Healthcare of Belleville reported one new death and Mercy Rehab & Care Center in Swansea reported one new death.
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 8.1% (+2.1); 7-day average — 6.2% (-0.1)
MADISON COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 110 new positives (48 confirmed, 62 probable), 1,239 new tests administered, 5 new deaths
Total overall: 25,080 positives, 428 deaths, 229,131 tests administered, 15,787 recoveries, 51 patients hospitalized with 4 on ventilators
Vaccines administered: 430 doses Monday, bringing the total to 10,091
Additional data: Individuals who tested positive ranged from under the age of 10 to their 90s. Of the 110 new positives, 73 individuals were under the age of 40.
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 10.4% (+2.0); 7-day average — 10.5% (+0.2)
CLINTON COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 20 new positives
Total overall: 5,165 positives, 79 deaths, 4,853 recoveries, 2 patients hospitalized
Vaccines administered: 130 doses Monday, bringing the total to 3,298
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 3.9% (-0.7); 7-day average —8.1% (-0.6)
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 19 new positives, 3 new deaths
Total overall: 3,843 positives, 76 deaths, 3,692 recoveries, 4 patients hospitalized
Vaccines administered: 184 dose Monday, bringing the total to 2,251
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 1.9% (-5.2); 7-day average — 5.1% (-0.4)
MONROE COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 27 new positives
Total overall: 3,746 positives, 76 deaths, 32 patients hospitalized
Vaccines administered: 11 doses Monday, bringing the total to 1,692
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 5.3% (-4.2); 7-day average — 8.3% (+0.1)
BOND COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: No new data as of 5 p.m.
Total overall: 1,907 positives, 19 deaths, 36,190 tests administered
Vaccines administered: 42 doses since Monday, keeping the total at 844
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 0.8% (-2.3); 7-day average — 4.4% (-0.9)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: No new data as of 5 p.m.
Total overall: 1,504 positives, 24 deaths, 1,444 recoveries, one patient hospitalized
Vaccines administered: 6 doses Monday, bringing the total to 750
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 5.1% (-5.3); 7-day average — 10.6% (-0.9)
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: No new data as of 4 p.m..
Total overall: 4,201 positives, 98 deaths, 2,914 recoveries
Vaccines administered: 88 doses Monday, bringing the total to 3,159
Positivity rates (as Saturday): Daily — 4.9% (-3.4); 7-day average — 7.4% (-0.2)
JERSEY COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 8 new positives, 1 new death
Total overall: 2,317 positives, 44 deaths, 22,887 tests administered, 2,191 recoveries
Vaccines administered: 19 doses Monday, bringing the total to 1,724
Positivity rates (as Saturday): Daily — 17.2% (+7.7); 7-day average — 8.9% (No change from Monday)
PERRY COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: 7 new positives, 1 new death
Total overall: 2,923 positives, 57 deaths, 2,712 recoveries
Vaccines administered: 10 doses Monday, bringing the total to 1,240
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 6.4(+3.7); 7-day average — 6.4% (+0.1)
CALHOUN COUNTY
Tuesday’s new data: No new data as of 5 p.m.
Total overall: 462 positives, 4 deaths, 449 recoveries
Vaccines administered: 103 doses Monday, bringing the total to 426
Positivity rates (as of Saturday): Daily — 0.0% (-2.8); 7-day average — 5.6% (+0.3)
Editor’s note: The number of new COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in each county is reported on Mondays and shows the increase for the past week. Information comes from county sources and the Illinois Department of Public Health 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 Monday afternoon.
- Illinois: 1,108,430 cases, 18,883 deaths, 15,553,319 tests
- U.S.: 25,579,523 cases, 427,713 deaths, 15,332,896 recoveries
- World: 99,501,577 cases, 2,133,866 deaths, 71,527,822 recoveries
Testing sites in southwestern Illinois
Here are some upcoming coronavirus testing options:
- Tuesday, Jan. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bond County Fairgrounds, 200 W. College Ave., Greenville.
- Tuesday, Jan. 26: 9 a.m. to noon at First Christian Church, 310 S. Main St., Edwardsville.
- Tuesday, Jan. 26: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2235 Bond Ave., East St. Louis.
- Wednesday, Jan. 27: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Clyde Jordan Senior Citizen Center, 6755 State St., East St. Louis.
- Wednesday, Jan. 27: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quad City/Mt. Nebo Complex, 1634 Seventh St., Madison.
- Thursday, Jan. 28: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bond County Fairgrounds, 200 W. College Ave., Greenville.
- Friday, Jan. 29: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at First United Presbyterian Church, 200 E. Church St., Collinsville.
- Saturday, Jan. 30: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Madison County Health Department, 101 E. Edwardsville Road, Wood River.
- Saturday, Jan. 30: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McKendree University – The Hett, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon.
Sunday, Jan. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McKendree University – The Hett, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon.
Sunday, Jan. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church, 689 Scott Troy Road, O’Fallon.
- 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, in the parking lot 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 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.
St. Clair County has a new service center at 330 W. Main St. in Belleville. Its regular hours 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 26, 2021 at 4:30 PM.