Are COVID-19 cases rebounding in southwest Illinois? Here’s a county-by-county look

COVID-19 positivity rates again increased this week but still remain low in southwestern Illinois, with no county reporting higher than 5.2%.

Intensive Care Unit bed availability at local hospitals improved and vaccinations rose.

Here is a breakdown of the recent positivity rates and vaccination data.

Region 4 positivity rates

The positivity rate for Region 4 as a whole and among its individual counties again showed some slight increases.

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 Nov. 11-17, according to data released by the state health department Wednesday.

• The positivity rate for Region 4 increased slightly from 3.1% last week to 3.6% this week.
• The Region 4 postivity rate has remained below 5% since Sept. 22.
• All seven counties reported decreases from the beginning of September, as did Region 4 as a whole.
  
  
• Five of the seven counties reported positivity rates at or below 4%.
• Five of the seven counties reported modest increases from last week.
• The highest positivity rate reported in Region 4 was Monroe County at 5.2%.

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: 3.6% on Nov. 14; 3.1% on Nov. 7; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 3.4% on Nov. 14; 5.2% on Nov. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 3.1% on Nov. 14; 3.6% on Nov. 7; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 3.4% on Nov. 14; 3.1% on Nov. 7; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 5.2% on Nov. 14; 5.4% on Nov. 7; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 2.2% on Nov. 14; 1.5% on Nov. 7; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 4.0% on Nov. 14; 3.0% on Nov. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 4.9% on Nov. 14; 3.3% on Nov. 7; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, rose from 28% last week to 31% on Wednesday, according to state data. It was at 21% in early September and had reached 35% from Oct. 27-29.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 335,637 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or 50.8%.

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

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 268,977 people. Overall, nearly 300,000 residents of those two counties have received at least one dose, according to IDPH data.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,033 people have been fully vaccinated, or 42.29% of the population.
• Clinton County: 19,139 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.58% of the population.
• Madison County: 137,733 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.08% of the population.
• Monroe County: 18,776 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.68% of the population.
• Randolph County: 14,521 people have been fully vaccinated, or 45.23% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 131,244 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.27% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,191 people have been fully vaccinated, or 51.38% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,306,577 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 57.33%.