Vaccination site at Belleville fairgrounds is closing. Where can you get a COVID shot?

Since opening Oct. 5, St. Clair County health officials estimated the Belle Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center in Belleville administered 7,190 doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday afternoon.

With the site closing Wednesday, people now must turn elsewhere for their vaccine. During Wednesday’s weekly COVID briefing, health officials noted the St. Clair County Health Department’s location at 330 W. Main St. remains open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

All three vaccines — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna — are offered every day there, St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Bryan Whitaker said.

The location is closed Thursday for Veterans Day, but will reopen Friday. Appointments are recommended but not required. People can schedule an appointment at www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department or by phone at 618-233-7703.

Overall, the turnout at the fairgrounds pleased St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons.

“It’s been successful,” he said. “We want to thank all of the staff at the fairgrounds and the health department — everybody who took part in doing that. Hopefully we don’t have to ever think about reopening it back up. 7,000 more citizens taking advantage of that is really great.

“I wish more would have, but we’ll take the 7,000 and keep getting the word out to them.”

Whitaker added, “It was a very successful endeavor.”

Additionally, Whitaker noted the health department is now offering Pfizer vaccine clinics for children age 5-11 at the department headquarters, 19 Public Square, Belleville. People should call 618-825-4447 to make an appointment or visit https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department to register. Appointments are required.

Whitaker also said various pediatric physician offices, Walgreens and CVS are offering the shots for young people.

By the numbers

St. Clair County reported decreases in hospitalizations and COVID patients on ventilators. It reported increases, however, in new cases and deaths for the week of Nov. 4-10.

Overall, health officials announced 331 new COVID-19 cases the past week, up from 267 reported the period of Oct. 28-Nov. 3. They also reported five new deaths, up from four the previous week.

Hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County decreased again from 22 last week to 18 this week, health officials reported Wednesday. The number of patients on ventilators also dropped from two last week to zero this week.

Overall, the county now has 41,021 cases and 567 deaths since the pandemic began. The deaths this past week included two women in their 60s and two women in their 70s, all with underlying health conditions; and a woman in her 90s with unknown health conditions.

St. Clair County health officials also continue to see higher case numbers among the younger population, with decreases from last week noted:

• 50% of current positive cases are under 40 and under, down from 57% last week.
• 18% of current positive cases are 11-20 and under, down from 27% last week.
• 12% of current positive cases are under 10, down from 13% last week.

“That number is still greatly affecting our younger populations,” Whitaker said.

COVID still hitting unvaccinated people hardest

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

As done weekly, St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Bryan Whitaker presented a 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: 18 people total hospitalized, with all of them unvaccinated. Last week, 22 people were hospitalized, with 15 of them unvaccinated.
• ICU: Two individuals total in the ICU, with one of them unvaccinated. Last week, eight people were in the ICU, with six of them unvaccinated.
• Ventilators: No patients are on ventilators.

Madison County, Region 4 hospital figures

On Monday, nearby Madison County reported 385 new cases and two new deaths since Oct. 29. Overall, as of Wednesday, Madison County had reported 40,418 cases and 608 deaths since the pandemic began.

Also, the Madison County Health Department reported 16 patients hospitalized Monday, down from 19 patients as reported Oct. 29. Additionally, the number of people on ventilators increased from three to four.

Of note, the health department recently announced on its Facebook page that it will provide data updates Mondays and Thursdays only moving forward.

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 increased slightly from 43 last week to 44 this week, county officials reported Wednesday, with the number of people on a ventilator rising from three to four.

This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 5:19 PM.