Here’s a first look at southwest Illinois COVID stats since the masks came off

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 4.1% last week to 2.9% this week, the lowest since Oct. 19.
• The positivity rate has been below the 8% threshold 18-straight days after being above that mark since right before Christmas.
• All seven counties reported positivity rates well below the 8% threshold.
• The highest positivity rate reported among the seven counties was 4.2%.
• Six of the seven counties reported decreases from last week.
  
  
• All seven counties reported significantly lower infection rates than from early January.

The ICU bed availability, meanwhile, also continues to show marked improvement. After being below the 20% threshold 47 consecutive days, the availability has been above 20% for 15-straight days, according to state data.

Additionally, as of Wednesday, Region 4 hospitals reported 37 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: 2.9% on Feb. 27; 4.1% on Feb. 20; 26.4% on Jan. 7; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 2.4% on Feb. 27; 4.1% on Feb. 20; 23.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 2.4% on Feb. 27; 3.1% on Feb. 20; 11.4% on Jan. 30; 24% on Jan. 7; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 3.5% on Feb. 27; 4.7% on Feb. 20; 24.3% on Jan. 7; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 2.9% on Feb. 27; 7.2% on Feb. 20; 29.1% on Jan. 7; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 2.5% on Feb. 27; 4.3% on Feb. 20; 19.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 2.5% on Feb. 27; 3.4% on Feb. 20; 30.1% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 4.2% on Feb. 27; 3.7% on Feb. 20; 29.6% on Jan. 7; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Additionally, Region 4’s ICU bed availability rose to 26% on Wednesday after being at 22% 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, 368,772 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 55.8%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 295,336 people. Madison County leads the way with 150,796 fully vaccinated individuals.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,710 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.36% of the population.
• Clinton County: 20,898 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.52% of the population.
• Madison County: 150,796 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.02% of the population.
• Monroe County: 20,820 people have been fully vaccinated, or 60.64% of the population.
• Randolph County: 16,109 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.17% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 144,540 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.37% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,899 people have been fully vaccinated, or 56.44% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 8,128,110 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 63.79%.