St. Clair County reports fall in COVID cases and deaths, but rise in hospitalizations

St. Clair County reported a decrease in cases and deaths but an increase in hospitalizations for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6, health officials said during Wednesday’s weekly COVID briefing.

Health officials announced three new deaths — down from five the previous week — and 418 new COVID-19 cases — down from 468 the period of Sept. 23-29.

However, hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County increased from 32 last week to 38 this week, health officials reported Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators also increased, rising from three last week to five this week.

Overall, the county has had 39,657 cases and 545 deaths since the pandemic began. The deaths this past week included woman in her 70s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s, all with unknown health conditions, according to health officials.

St. Clair County health officials continue to see higher case numbers among the younger population as well.

• 59.6% of current positive cases are under 40, up from 57% last week.
• 33% of current positive cases are under 21, up from 28% last week.
• 17.8% of current positive cases are under 10, up from 13% last week.

“The virus is still out there, moving around the county. That’s why it’s important to do what the county is doing for their part,” St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said during Wednesday’s weekly briefing.

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: 38 people total hospitalized, with 27 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 32 people were hospitalized with 28 of them unvaccinated.
• ICU: Eight individuals total in the ICU, with zero of them unvaccinated. Last week, six people were in the ICU with all of them unvaccinated.
• Ventilators: Five people on ventilators, all of them unvaccinated. Last week, three people were on ventilators, all them unvaccinated.

Madison County, Region 4 hospital figures

Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, nearby Madison County reported 474 new cases from Sept. 30-Oct. 6, down sharply from 616 cases the prior week. The county reported a slight increase in deaths from four last week to five the period of Sept. 30-Oct. 6.

Overall, as of Wednesday’s data, Madison County had reported 38,722 cases and 585 deaths since the pandemic began.

The Madison County Health Department on Wednesday also reported 35 patients hospitalized due to COVID, down from 39 last week. Also on Wednesday, the county reported six people on ventilators, 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 increased from 78 last week to 86 this week, county officials reported Wednesday, with the number of people on a ventilator remaining at nine this week.