St. Clair County officials reports decreases in COVID cases, deaths & hospitalizations
St. Clair County reported decreases in cases, deaths and hospitalizations for the week of Oct. 14-20, health officials said during Wednesday’s weekly COVID briefing.
Overall, health officials announced 217 new COVID-19 cases, down sharply from 331 the period of Oct. 7-13. They also reported three new deaths, down from eight the previous week.
Additionally, hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County decreased from 32 last week to 30 this week, health officials reported Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators did rise slightly from four last week to five this week.
Overall, the county now has 40,205 cases and 556 deaths since the pandemic began. The deaths this past week included a woman in her 80s with underlying health condition; a woman in her 30s with unknown health conditions; and a man in his 60s, also with unknown health conditions.
St. Clair County health officials continue to see higher case numbers among the younger population, with multiple decreases from last week noted as well.
- 40% of current positive cases are under 40, down from 52% last week.
- 20% of current positive cases are under 21, down from 29% last week.
- 9% of current positive cases are under 10, down from 14% last week.
“We still have high numbers in those lower age categories. We know that about 86% of the variants reported in St. Clair County are the delta variant; 13% are the alpha variant, which is what we expect for that age breakdown,” St. Clair County Health Department Director Myla Blandford said.
COVID still hitting unvaccinated people hardest
The latest data from local medical facilities still shows unvaccinated people stand a higher chance of being hospitalized than vaccinated people, if they catch the COVID-19 virus.
Below is data released Wednesday 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: 28 people total hospitalized, with 15 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 32 people were hospitalized, with 18 of them unvaccinated.
- ICU: Nine individuals total in the ICU, with six of them unvaccinated. Last week, eight people were in the ICU, with five of them unvaccinated.
- Ventilators: Four people on ventilators, with two of them unvaccinated. Last week, four people were on ventilators, with three of them unvaccinated.
Vaccine, booster update
Blandford also provided a quick-hit update on a few booster/vaccine related-topics Wednesday, including:
- The county could start issuing Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters soon.
- There’s talk of mixing the booster doses, with more information to come.
- On Oct. 26, the Food and Drug Administration meets to talk about authorization of a vaccine for individuals 5-11 with Pfizer.
“There’s a lot of new information coming out, so stay posted,” Blandford said. “Make sure that you stay tuned to our Facebook page and our websites with the pending approvals of the booster doses, and we’ll be announcing if there’s any changes out at the fairgrounds.”
Madison County, Region 4 hospital figures
Also on Wednesday, Madison County reported 315 new cases from Oct. 14-20, down sharply from 468 cases the prior week. The county, however, reported a big uptick in deaths from two the period of Oct. 7-13 to 10 this past week.
Overall, as of Wednesday’s data, Madison County had reported 39,505 cases and 597 deaths since the pandemic began.
The Madison County Health Department on Wednesday also reported 22 patients hospitalized due to COVID, down from 26 last week. Also on Wednesday, the county reported two people on ventilators, down from four 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.
Regionally, the number of patients hospitalized decreased sharply from 63 last week to 62 this week, county officials reported Wednesday, with the number of people on a ventilator dropping from eight to seven.
Upcoming vaccine clinic
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. will host a vaccine clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 13, at Mary Brown Center, 606 S. 15th St., East St. Louis.
This will include the first, second and booster doses of Pfizer, Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Open to all and free. No appointment required.
Where else can you get a booster shot?
Below is a list of additional locations offering Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots::
Belle-Clair Fairgrounds — 200 S Belt E #2650, Belleville, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. First, second and third and booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Appointments are strongly encouraged but not required.
St. Clair County Health Department — 330 West Main St., Belleville, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through-Saturday. Appointments should be scheduled at www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department or by phone at 618-233-7703.
Clinton County Health Department — Clinics held at 930 Fairfax St, Carlyle, from 2-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Schedule an appointment at www.clintoncountyhealth.com or by calling 618-594-6622.
Washington County Health Department — 177 S. Washington St., Nashville. To schedule an appointment call 618-327-3644.
Bond County Health Department — Clinics held at 1520 S. Fourth St., Greenville, on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Schedule an appointment at www.bchd.us or by calling 618-664-1442.