All southern IL counties at medium, high COVID community levels. See CDC’s state map
Southwest Illinois’ last county at a low COVID-19 community level, Washington, jumped to a high level in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Thursday update.
Five southern counties are at a medium level, and the region’s remaining counties are all at a high level. There are currently no southern Illinois counties at a low level.
St. Clair County was designated at a high level for the second consecutive week, and the case rate increased to 256.08 compared to last week’s rate of 244.53 cases per 100,000 people. Hospital admissions decreased by 0.2 to 10.2 per 100,000 people.
The CDC reported the portion of staffed inpatient beds in use by COVID-19 patients in the county stayed the same, at 4.4%.
Test positivity increased by 0.13% to 21.22% in St. Clair County, according to the CDC. The number of tests performed increased by 2.11%, and the total case rate increased by 4.72%.
Statewide, the CDC designates 66 Illinois counties at a high level and 31 counties at a medium level. There are five Illinois counties at a low community level.
A county’s community level is based on metrics from the past seven days, including new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, average percent of staffed, inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and total new cases per 100,000 people.
Every Illinois county is in a high COVID-19 transmission level, a separate CDC metric, for the third consecutive week.
The community transmission level is based on the past seven days’ number of cases per 100,000 people and portion of positive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).
The CDC recommends indoor masking in areas at high community levels, and staying up to date with vaccines and boosters is recommended for everyone regardless of community designation.
Those who have come in contact with someone who tested positive or who have symptoms themselves should wear a mask and get tested.
St. Clair County’s daily case rate is 37.9 per 100,000 people, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, as the case rate increased for the third consecutive week. The state agency reported 18% of intensive care unit beds were available in the county, as of Friday.
The seven-day hospital admissions rolling average was three, and IDPH reported one death for St. Clair County during the week.
The statewide daily case rate has surpassed St. Clair County’s at 39.7 per 100,000 people. IDPH data show 17% of ICU beds are available throughout the state, and the seven-day hospital admissions rolling average was at 142.
Illinois health authorities reported 48 COVID-19 deaths in the state for the week.
You can schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or find testing locations online in St. Clair County.
Note: Some CDC data, such as test positivity rates, the number of tests performed and total case rate, update on different days. IDPH data and CDC data may not update at the same time, so metrics may vary across agencies.
This story was originally published July 31, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
