With mask mandate gone, here are COVID infection, vaccination stats for 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

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 slightly from 1.9% last week to 2.1% this week.
• The positivity rate has been below the 8% threshold 32-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 2.6%.
• Four of the seven counties reported decreases from last week, with the other three counties reported slight increases.
  
  
• All seven counties reported significantly lower infection rates than from early January.

The ICU bed availability, meanwhile, also continues to show improvement. After being below the 20% threshold 47 consecutive days, the availability has been above 20% for 29-straight days, according to state data.

Additionally, as of Wednesday, Region 4 hospitals reported 51 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: 2.1% on March 13; 1.9% on March 6; 26.4% on Jan. 7; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 0.9% on March 13; 2.1% on March 6; 23.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 2.0% on March 13; 2.2% on March 6; 11.4% on Jan. 30; 24% on Jan. 7; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 2.6% on March 13; 2.0% on March 6; 24.3% on Jan. 7; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 1.7% on March 13; 2.3% on March 6; 2.9%; 29.1% on Jan. 7; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 1.7% on March 13; 2.2% on March 6; 19.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 1.8% on March 13; 1.7% on March 6; 30.1% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 1.8% on March 13; 1.3% on March 6; 29.6% on Jan. 7; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Additionally, Region 4’s ICU bed availability dropped from 32% last week to 28% on Wednesday. The availability stood at 9% in early January and 21% in early September.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 370,659 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 56.1%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 296,872 people. Madison County leads the way with 151,467 fully vaccinated individuals.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,752 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.61% of the population.
• Clinton County: 21,037 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.89% of the population.
• Madison County: 151,467 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.27% of the population.
• Monroe County: 20,896 people have been fully vaccinated, or 60.86% of the population.
• Randolph County: 16,164 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.35% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 145,405 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.70% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,938 people have been fully vaccinated, or 56.72% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 8,169,565 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 64.12%.

This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 7:00 AM.