ICU bed availability plummets as COVID-19 positivity rates spike across southwest IL

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

Test 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 nearly doubled from 12.1% last week to 23.1% this week.
• All seven counties in Region 4 reported increases from last week to this week.
  
  
• All seven counties reported positivity rates above the 8% threshold.
• All 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.
• All seven counties reported double digit positivity rates.
  
  

Several counties reported their highest positivity rates since the IDPH started tracking data in June 2020. That includes Region 4 (previous high was 16.4% on Nov. 16, 2020) and St. Clair County (previous high was 15.8% on Dec. 7, 2020).

Meanwhile, after going more than 110 days below the 8% threshold, the Region 4 positivity rate has been above that mark 12 consecutive days.

The ICU bed availability, meanwhile, dropped to the lowest level since the IDPH started tracking data June 15, 2020. Region 4’s ICU bed availability plummeted to 13% on Wednesday. It was at 21% last week, as high as 31% on Nov. 23 and stood at 21% in early September.

It has been below the 20% threshold six consecutive days after being at or above that figure for 116-straight days, according to state data.

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: 23.1% on Jan. 2; 12.1% on Dec. 26; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 22.6% on Jan. 2; 10% on Dec. 26; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 13.7% on Jan. 2; 7% on Dec. 26; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 24.3% on Jan. 2; 12.9% on Dec. 26; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 23.2% on Jan. 2; 15.4% on Dec. 26; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 18% on Jan. 2; 7.8% on Dec. 26; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 25.3% on Jan. 2; 13% on Dec. 26; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 20.3% on Jan. 2; 10.5% on Dec. 26; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 353,095 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 53.4%

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 283,368 people. Madison County leads the way with 144,903 fully vaccinated individuals.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,366 people have been fully vaccinated, or 44.29% of the population.
• Clinton County: 19,945 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.99% of the population.
• Madison County: 144,903 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.79% of the population.
• Monroe County: 19,752 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.53% of the population.
• Randolph County: 15,202 people have been fully vaccinated, or 47.35% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 138,465 people have been fully vaccinated, or 53.04% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,462 people have been fully vaccinated, or 53.32% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,743,886 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 60.78%.

This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 4:46 PM.