Here are current COVID cases, hospitalizations and 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 dropped from 2.9% last week to 1.9% this week, the lowest since June 5 when it was 1.5%.
• The positivity rate has been below the 8% threshold 25-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 2.3%.
• All 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 22-straight days, according to state data.

Additionally, as of Wednesday, Region 4 hospitals reported 44 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: 1.9% on March 6; 2.9% on Feb. 27; 26.4% on Jan. 7; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Bond County: 2.1% on March 6; 2.4% on Feb. 27; 23.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
  
  
• Clinton County: 2.2% on March 6; 2.4% on Feb. 27; 11.4% on Jan. 30; 24% on Jan. 7; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.
• Madison County: 2.0% on March 6; 3.5% on Feb. 27; 24.3% on Jan. 7; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.
• Monroe County: 2.3% on March 6; 2.9% on Feb. 27; 29.1% on Jan. 7; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.
• Randolph County: 2.2% on March 6; 2.5% on Feb. 27; 19.5% on Jan. 7; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.
• St. Clair County: 1.7% on March 6; 2.5% on Feb. 27; 30.1% on Jan. 7; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.
• Washington County: 1.3% on March 6; 4.2% on Feb. 27; 29.6% on Jan. 7; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Additionally, Region 4’s ICU bed availability rose to 32% on Wednesday after being at 26% last week. It was at 32% on Tuesday and has not been this high since it was at 35% on Oct. 27. By contrast, 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, 369,929 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 56.0%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 296,264 people. Madison County leads the way with 151,196 fully vaccinated individuals.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

• Bond County: 7,740 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.54% of the population.
• Clinton County: 20,974 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.72% of the population.
• Madison County: 151,196 people have been fully vaccinated, or 57.17% of the population.
• Monroe County: 20,879 people have been fully vaccinated, or 60.81% of the population.
• Randolph County: 16,145 people have been fully vaccinated, or 50.29% of the population.
• St. Clair County: 145,068 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.57% of the population.
• Washington County: 7,927 people have been fully vaccinated, or 56.65% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 8,151,688 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 63.98%.