A county-by-county look at latest COVID infection, vaccinations for southwest Illinois

COVID-19 positivity rates again showed increases from last week to this week, while ICU bed availability rose and vaccinations increased.

Here is a breakdown of recent positivity rate data and vaccine distribution in Region 4, which consists of Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.

Region 4 positivity rates

Positivity rate is one key metric the Illinois Department of Public Health measures to determine what mitigations may be needed to stem spread.

Below are some recent trends for Region 4, according to data released by the state health department Wednesday.

• The positivity rate for Region 4 rose from 6.5% last week to 7.5% this week.
• Six of the seven counties reported increases from last week to this week.
  
  
• Four of the seven counties reported positivity rates below the 8% threshold.
• Five of the seven counties reported higher positivity rates than from early September. Region 4 also reported a higher positivity rate than from early September.
• No counties reported double digit positivity rates.
  
  

While some of the current infection metrics appear trending in the wrong direction, cases are apparently not severe. According to state data:

• The ICU bed availability has remained above the 20% threshold 102-straight days.
• The Region 4 positivity rate has remained under the 8% threshold 104-consecutive days.
• While there have been hospital patient increases every day since mid-November, the IDPH still reports 343 consecutive days of COVID-19 patient decreases or stable.

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: 7.5% on Dec. 12; 6.5% on Dec. 5; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 9.8% on Dec. 12; 10.2% on Dec. 5; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 6.4% on Dec. 12; 6.0% on Dec. 5; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 7.9% on Dec. 12; 6.5% on Dec. 5; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 9.7% on Dec. 12; 11.0% on Dec. 5; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 6.8% on Dec. 12; 4.7% on Dec. 5; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 6.9% on Dec. 12; 6.2% on Dec. 5; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 8.3% on Dec. 12; 6.5% on Dec. 5; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, improved from 23% last week to 27% on Wednesday, according to state data. It was as high as 31% on Nov. 23 and stood at 21% in early September.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 347,319 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 52.6%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 278,519 people. Madison County leads the way with 142,389 fully vaccinated people.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,247 people have been fully vaccinated, or 43.58% of the population.
• Clinton County: 19,965 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.33% of the population.
• Madison County: 142,389 people have been fully vaccinated, or 53.84% of the population.
• Monroe County: 19,343 people have been fully vaccinated, or 56.34% of the population.
• Randolph County: 14,877 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.34% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 136,130 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.15% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,368 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.365% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,595,887 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 59.62%.