COVID-19 test positivity rates spike across southwest Illinois from a week ago

Here is a breakdown of recent COVID-19 test 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 rose sharply from 7.3% last week to 12.1% this week.
• Six of the seven counties reported increases from last week to this week.
  
  
• Five of the seven counties reported positivity rates above the 8% threshold.
• Six of the seven counties reported higher positivity rates than from early September. Region 4 as a whole also reported a higher positivity rate than from early September.
• Five counties reported double digit positivity rates.
  
  

Of note, Region 4 reported its highest positivity rate since Jan. 7 (12.6%); Madison County reported its highest positivity rate since Jan. 6 (13.2%); and St. Clair County reported its highest positivity rate since Jan. 3 (13.2%).

Meanwhile, after going more than 110 days below the 8% threshold, the Region 4 positivity rate has been above that mark five consecutive days.

However, the ICU bed availability has remained at or above the 20% threshold 116-straight days, according to state data Wednesday.

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: 12.1% on Dec. 26; 7.3% on Dec. 19; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 10% on Dec. 26; 9.5% on Dec. 19; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 7% on Dec. 26; 5.4% on Dec. 19; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 12.9% on Dec. 26; 7.5% on Dec. 19; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 15.4% on Dec. 26; 10.8% on Dec. 19; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 7.8% on Dec. 26; 8.4% on Dec. 19; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 13% on Dec. 26; 6.7% on Dec. 19; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 10.5% on Dec. 26; 10.2% on Dec. 19; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, remained at 21% on Wednesday, the same figure as last week. It was as high as 31% on Nov. 23 and also stood at 21% in early September.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 351,216 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or just above 53%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 281,774 people. Madison County leads the way with 144,109 fully vaccinated people.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,338 people have been fully vaccinated, or 44.13% of the population.
• Clinton County: 19,859 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.76% of the population.
• Madison County: 144,109 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.49% of the population.
• Monroe County: 19,666 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.28% of the population.
• Randolph County: 15,141 people have been fully vaccinated, or 47.16% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 137,665 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.73% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,438 people have been fully vaccinated, or 53.15% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,698,329 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 60.42%.

This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 3:29 PM.