St. Clair County health officials announce decline in COVID-19 cases, 9 deaths

St. Clair County reported another decline in cases but nine new deaths for the week of Sept. 16-22, health officials said during Wednesday’s weekly COVID briefing.

Overall, health officials announced 431 new COVID-19 cases for the week — down sharply from 540 the previous week and 657 from Sept. 2-8 — while the nine new deaths was one less than the 10 reported Sept. 9-15. Overall, the county now has 38,770 cases and 537 deaths since the pandemic began.

The deaths this past week included a woman in her 60s and a man in his 90s, both with underlying health conditions; and a woman in her 50s, a man in his 50s, a man in his 60s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s, all with unknown health conditions, according to health officials.

Additionally, hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County decreased from 46 last week to 37 this week, health officials reported Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators also dropped from eight last week to five this week.

St. Clair County health officials continue to see high case numbers among the younger population, while noting some decreases:

• 60% of current positive cases are under 40, the same as last week.
• 31% of current positive cases are under 20, down from 36% last week.
• 16% of current positive cases are under 10, down from 19% last week.

“Vaccine is the best tool that we have in the tool belt, and, again, combined with masking, social distancing, hand washing ... that’s the only way we’re going to beat the pandemic,” St. Clair County Health Department Director Myla Blandford during Wednesday’s briefing.

Blandford further explained about 83% of the variants reported to her department are of the delta variant, and about 15% of the alpha variant.

“Still here, still going through this. As Myla said, we’re still experiencing significant amounts of COVID here in St. Clair County. Vaccine is the safest way to go. But, also, if you’re feeling like you’ve been exposed or you’re feeling symptoms of COVID, make sure you’re going out and getting tested so you’re not spreading that virus on to someone else,” St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Bryan Whitaker said during the briefing.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, nearby Madison County reported 650 new cases from Sept. 16-22, a decrease from the 679 new cases the health department reported from Sept. 9-15. However, the county reported 12 new deaths the past week, up sharply from the three new deaths reported from Sept. 9-15.

Overall, as of Wednesday’s data, Madison County had reported 37,632 cases and 576 deaths since the pandemic began.

The Madison County Health Department on Wednesday also reported 46 patients hospitalized due to COVID, the same as last week. Also on Wednesday, the county reported seven people on ventilators, also the same as last week.

St. Clair County and Madison County are part of what the Illinois Department of Public Health classifies as Region 4, which also includes Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph, and Washington counties.

And, regionally, the number of patients hospitalized dropped from 112 last week to 95 this week, county officials reported Wednesday, with the number of people on a ventilator remaining the same as last week at 15.

Booster update

Blandford also addressed booster shots during Wednesday’s briefing.

“On Friday, the FDA voted in favor of boosters for the 65 and above as well as those who are at high risk. ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) convened a meeting today and for tomorrow to review some additional data so more data will be forthcoming on their decision in terms of what we’re going to do for booster doses in the near future,” she said.

Health officials recently said the Belle Clair Fairgrounds in St. Clair County may again serve as a mass vaccination site, once/if the COVID-19 booster shot becomes available for everyone.

COVID still hitting unvaccinated people hardest

The latest data from local medical facilities continues to show unvaccinated individuals stand a higher chance of being hospitalized than vaccinated people if they catch the COVID-19 virus.

During Wednesday’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Blandford again presented a joint graphic from Touchette Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s hospital breaking down overall hospitalizations, ICU patients and those on ventilators among vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Here are the results:

• Hospitalizations: 37 people total hospitalized, with 30 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 46 people were hospitalized with 40 of them unvaccinated.
• ICU: Nine individuals total in the ICU, with zero of them unvaccinated. Last week, 13 people were in the ICU with 11 of them unvaccinated.
• Ventilators: Five people on ventilators, all of them unvaccinated. Last week, eight people were on ventilators, all them unvaccinated.

This story was originally published September 22, 2021 at 5:28 PM.