COVID infection rates drop sharply, ICU bed availability rises 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 11.4% last week to 5.7% this week, the lowest since around Thanksgiving.
• The positivity rate has been below the 8% threshold four-straight days after being above that mark since right before Christmas.
• All seven counties reported positivity rates below the 8% threshold.
• All seven counties reported decreases from last week.
  
  
• All seven counties reported significantly lower posivitity rates than from early January.

The ICU bed availability, meanwhile, also is showing improvement. After being below the 20% threshold 47 consecutive days, the availability reached 20% on Wednesday for the first time since Dec. 29, according to state data.

Additionally, as of Wednesday, Region 4 hospitals reported 27 consecutive days of COVID-19 patient decreases.

Here is a more detailed look at the seven-day rate fluctuations for Region 4 counties from one week ago, from early January and from the beginning of September, according to the most recent data released by the state health department Wednesday:

• Region 4: 5.7% on Feb. 13; 11.4% on Feb. 6; 26.4% on Jan. 7; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 6.1% on Feb. 13; 11.6% on Feb. 6; 23.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 7.3% on Feb. 13; 11.8% on Feb. 6; 11.4% on Jan. 30; 24% on Jan. 7; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 6.4% on Feb. 13; 12.1% on Feb. 6; 24.3% on Jan. 7; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 4.2% on Feb. 13; 11.7% on Feb. 6; 29.1% on Jan. 7; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 6.5% on Feb. 13; 12.4% on Feb. 6; 19.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 4.8% on Feb. 13; 10.6% on Feb. 6; 30.1% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 7.6% Feb. 13; 13% on Feb. 6; 29.6% on Jan. 7; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

As noted, Region 4’s ICU bed availability rose to 20% on Wednesday after being at 16% last week. It was as high as 31% on Nov. 23 and stood at 9% in early January and 21% in early September.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 365,085 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or 55.2%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 292,602 people. Madison County leads the way with 149,438 fully vaccinated individuals.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,608 people have been fully vaccinated, or 48.67% of the population.
• Clinton County: 20,659 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.89% of the population.
• Madison County: 149,438 people have been fully vaccinated, or 56.51% of the population.
• Monroe County: 20,655 people have been fully vaccinated, or 60.16% of the population.
• Randolph County: 15,804 people have been fully vaccinated, or 49.22% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 143,164 people have been fully vaccinated, or 54.84% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,747 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.36% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 8,057,233 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 63.24%.

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 2:02 PM.