Here’s a look at COVID cases, vaccinations and other data for southwest IL counties

Here is a breakdown of recent positivity rate and vaccine distribution data 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 the spread of COVID-19 cases.

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

• The positivity rate for Region 4 dropped from 7.5% last week to 7.3% this week.
• Four of the seven counties reported decreases from last week to this week.
  
  
• Three 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 as a whole, however, reported a lower positivity rate than from early September.
• Two 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 at or above the 20% threshold 109-straight days. However, it did dip to 20% on Dec. 20.
• The Region 4 positivity rate has remained under the 8% threshold 111 consecutive days.

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: 7.3% on Dec. 19; 7.5% on Dec. 12; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 9.5% on Dec. 19; 9.8% on Dec. 12; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 5.4% on Dec. 19; 6.4% on Dec. 12; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 7.5% on Dec. 19; 7.9% on Dec. 12; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 10.8% on Dec. 19; 9.7% on Dec. 12; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 8.4% on Dec. 19; 6.8% on Dec. 12; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 6.7% on Dec. 19; 6.9% on Dec. 12; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 10.2% on Dec. 19; 8.3% on Dec. 12; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, fell from 27% last week to 21% on Wednesday. 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, 349,518 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or just about 53%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 280,334 people. Madison County leads the way with 143,371 fully vaccinated people.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,311 people have been fully vaccinated, or 43.96% of the population.
• Clinton County: 19,801 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.61% of the population.
• Madison County: 143,371 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.21% of the population.
• Monroe County: 19,609 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.11% of the population.
• Randolph County: 15,068 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.93% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 136,963 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.46% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,395 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.84% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,655,874 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 60.09%.