Here is the latest COVID-19 information for St. Clair County

With COVID metrics continuing to improve, St. Clair County health officials announced Wednesday this would be their last weekly briefing.

However, the county health department will continue to post COVID data.

“The St. Clair County Health Department will continue to post metrics every day, including the link to the community levels and to the COVID data tracker which has the positivity (rate),” St. Clair County Health Department Director Myla Blandford said. “That isn’t as prominent of a statistic right now. They want you to take in account severe illness and hospitalization numbers.”

Overall, health officials announced 292 new COVID-19 cases in St. Clair County from Feb. 24-March 2, down from 362 new cases reported from Feb. 17-23; 721 new cases reported Feb. 10-16; 780 new cases reported Feb. 3-9; 1,844 cases reported Jan. 27-Feb. 2; 3,103 cases reported Jan. 18-24; 4,697 cases reported Jan. 13-19; and 5,334 cases reported Jan. 6-12.

County officials, meanwhile, reported a weekly and seven-day positivity rate of 4.1% during Wednesday’s briefing, up slightly from 3.5% last week, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County dropped from 22 last week to 15 this week while the number of patients on ventilators fell from one to zero. These numbers are a sharp contrast from the beginning of 2022.

Here is a comparative look at the numbers released Wednesday vs. from the reporting period of Jan. 6-12:

• 5,334 new cases Jan. 6-12 vs. 292 new cases Feb. 24-March 2.
• 28.9% positivity rate Jan. 6-12 vs. 4.1% positivity rate Feb. 24-March 2.
• 136 hospitalizations Jan. 6-12 vs. 15 hospitalizations Feb. 24-March 2.

Additionally, for the period of Dec. 30-Jan. 5, the county reported 12 people on ventilators vs. the zero individuals on a ventilator reported Wednesday.

The county, however, did announce three new deaths from Feb. 24-March 2 — a woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions; and a man in his 70s and a woman in her 70s, both with unknown health conditions. The county also reported three new deaths from Feb. 17-23.

Overall, St. Clair County now has 68,695 cases and 672 deaths since the pandemic began.

St. Clair County health officials also reported decreases and increases in the case numbers among the younger population, with fluctuations from last week noted:

• 48.2 of cumulative positive cases are under 40, down from 58.3% last week.
• 11.5% of current positive cases are between 11-20, up from 8.5% last week.
• 10% of current positive cases are under 10, down from 15.8% last week.

COVID hospitalization data

Blandford presented the weekly graphic from Touchette Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s hospital breaking down overall hospitalizations, ICU patients and those on ventilators among vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Here are the results:

• Hospitalizations: 15 people total hospitalized, with 11 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 22 people were hospitalized, with 14 of them unvaccinated.
• ICU: Three individuals total in the ICU, with two of them unvaccinated. Last week, four people were in the ICU, with three of them vaccinated.
• Ventilators: Zero individuals on a ventilator. Last week, one patient was on a ventilator, and that person was vaccinated.

According to the data the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Wednesday, 55.37% (144,540) of St. Clair County residents are fully vaccinated.

Blandford, Kern, Simmons offer thanks

In what they hope was their final COVID briefing, Blandford, St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern and St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons offered thanks to the community and officials for their work.

Kern — noting the press conferences started 719 days ago — thanked Simmons and the entire community, from their medical guests to the individual who handled sign language for the press conferences.

“I would like to say a special thanks to Herb Simmons, who really started this operation,” Kern said. “It was two years ago at this time that we had our first case, our first death in the county — approximately two years ago. You put the team together. I think we made a difference in educating the public. We all learned together. I think we’re a stronger country, a stronger world because of this. We’ll know how to deal with it if we ever have anything like this again.”

Madison County, Region 4 hospital figures

Since the BND last reported data for Madison County on Feb. 23, the latest figures show an increase of 590 cases and 14 new deaths from the past week.

The case total is up from the 561 cases reported last week, but down from the 2,796 cases reported the week prior and the 3,596 cases reported the week prior to that. The death total, meanwhile, is up from the six deaths reported Feb. 23.

Overall, as of Wednesday, Madison County had reported 69,707 cases and 772 deaths since the pandemic began.

The Madison County Health Department on Wednesday did not provide any updated hospital data. When the BND last reported hospital data Feb. 23, the county reported 30 patients hospitalized and three people on ventilators.

St. Clair County and Madison County are part of what the Illinois Department of Public Health classifies as Region 4, which also includes Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph, and Washington counties.

Regionally, the number of patients hospitalized dropped from 48 last week to 31 this week, county officials reported Wednesday. The number of people on a ventilator in Region 4 also dropped from three last week to two this week.

Where to get vaccinated, tested in St. Clair County

The St. Clair County Health Department’s location at 330 W. Main St. remains open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays for vaccinations.

All three vaccines — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna — are offered every day there for anyone 12 and older. Appointments are recommended but not required. People can schedule an appointment at www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department or by phone at 618-233-7703.

Additionally, people can get tested or vaccinated at the St. Clair Square site from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.