St. Clair County moves to medium COVID-19 community level. Here’s the latest CDC data
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved St. Clair County to a medium COVID-19 community level in Thursday’s update, after the area was at a high level for two consecutive weeks.
Monroe and Clinton counties moved to the low level from the medium category last week. The rest of southwest Illinois’ counties are all at medium or high COVID-19 levels.
Madison, Calhoun and Jersey counties are at a high level, along with Bond, Fayette and Marion. Randolph, Washington and Jefferson counties are at medium levels.
St. Clair County’s case rate per 100,000 individuals decreased from 256.08 last week to 251.46 Thursday. The rate of new hospital admissions decreased by two to 8.2 per 100,000 people, and the portion of staffed, inpatient beds in use by COVID-19 patients increased to 4.7%.
The test positivity rate in St. Clair County is down by 2.66%, and the rate of tests performed decreased by 17.75%. The county’s seven-day average total case rate is down 1.8%.
Statewide, the CDC designates 59 counties at a high COVID-19 community level, and 34 are at a medium level. There are nine Illinois counties at a low level, up from five low counties last Thursday.
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.
The CDC has designated every county in Illinois at a high transmission level, a separate metric, for the fourth 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.
The Illinois Department of Public Health recorded a daily case rate of 34.9 per 100,000 people in St. Clair County as of Friday, down by three from last week. Intensive care unit bed availability in the county has decreased to 16% from 18%.
The seven-day average rolling hospital admissions metric is at two, and IDPH reported one weekly COVID-19 death in St. Clair County.
Illinois’ statewide daily case rate is slightly lower than St. Clair County’s, at 34.5. ICU bed availability is at 16% for the state, and the seven-day average rolling hospital admissions number is 136.
IDPH reported 59 weekly COVID-19 deaths in the state.
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 August 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
