A county by county look at the latest COVID infection, vaccination rates for southwest IL

COVID-19 positivity rates showed some slight increases but still remained low in southwestern Illinois — with no county reporting higher than 4.2% — while ICU bed availability dropped and vaccinations again jumped, according to the latest available data.

Here is a breakdown of vaccine distribution and positivity rate data from Oct. 28-Nov. 3 in Region 4.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 335,005 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 50.7%. That’s an increase of 3,463 people who became fully vaccinated from Oct. 28-Nov. 3.

Region 4 consists of Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.

The vaccination numbers for Region 4 increased this week while still remaining fairly steady since the beginning of September:

• 3,480 people became fully vaccinated from Sept. 2-8.
• Nearly 4,500 people became fully vaccinated from Sept. 9-15.
• 3,883 people became fully vaccinated from Sept. 16-22.
• 3,496 people became fully vaccinated from Sept. 23-29.
• 3,093 people became fully vaccinated from Sept. 30-Oct. 6.
• 2,436 people became fully vaccinated from Oct. 7-13.
• 2,576 people became fully vaccinated from Oct. 14-20.
• 2,841 people became fully vaccinated from Oct. 21-27.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 2,933 people from Oct. 28-Nov. 3. That’s an increase from the 2,338 people who became fully vaccinated the week of Oct. 21-27.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 6,961 people have been fully vaccinated, or 41.86% of the population. That’s an increase of 55 people from one week ago.
• Clinton County: 18,991 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.46% of the population. That’s an increase of 175 people from one week ago.
• Madison County: 137,817 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.11% of the population. That’s an increase of 1,553 people from one week ago.
• Monroe County: 18,702 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.47% of the population. That’s an increase of 118 people from one week ago.
• Randolph County: 14,444 people have been fully vaccinated, or 44.99% of the population. That’s an increase of 110 people from one week ago.
• St. Clair County: 130,925 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.15% of the population. That’s an increase of 1,380 people from one week ago.
• Washington County: 7,165 people have been fully vaccinated, or 51.20% of the population. That’s an increase of 72 people from one week ago.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,306,171 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 57.34%. That’s an increase of 71,094 people from the previous week after the state reported 51,710 people became fully vaccinated from Oct. 21-27.

Region 4 positivity rates

The positivity rate for Region 4 as a whole and among its individual counties continues to show promising trends.

Positivity rate is one key metric the Illinois Department of Public Health measures to determine whether to reinstate restrictions.

Below are some trends for Region 4 from Oct. 28-Nov. 3, according to data released by the state health department Wednesday.

• The positivity rate for Region 4 increased from 2.2% last week to 2.9% this week.
• The Region 4 postivity rate has remained below 5% since Sept. 22 and below 3% since Oct. 18.
• All seven counties reported decreases from the beginning of September, as did Region 4 as a whole.
  
  
• Three of the seven counties reported positivity rates below 3%.
• The highest positivity rate reported by any of the seven counties was 4.2%.

Here is a more detailed look at the seven-day rate fluctuations for Region 4 counties from one week ago and from the beginning of September, according to the most recent data released by the state health department Wednesday:

• Region 4: 2.9% on Oct. 31; 2.2% on Oct. 24; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 3.1% on Oct. 31; 2.5% on Oct. 24; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 2.3% on Oct. 31; 1.4% on Oct. 24; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 3.2% on Oct. 31; 2.1% on Oct. 24; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 4.2% on Oct. 31; 4.4% on Oct. 24; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 1.9% on Oct. 31; 2.5% on Oct. 24; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 2.6% on Oct. 31; 2.1% on Oct. 24; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 3.2% on Oct. 31; 3.1% on Oct. 24; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, dropped from 34% last week to 28% on Wednesday, according to state data. It was at 21% in early September and had reached 35% from Oct. 27-29.