IL reports 4 COVID deaths in St. Clair County in last week. See latest community levels
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported four COVID-19 deaths over the last week in St. Clair County in an update Friday. The county remains at a low COVID-19 community level, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC rated 33 Illinois counties at a high level and 48 at a medium level in its Thursday update.
In southwest Illinois, St. Clair, Madison, Monroe and Bond were at a low level, while Calhoun, Jersey, Clinton and Randolph counties were at a medium level.
High level counties included Washington, Marion, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson and others. Much of the state’s central region counties were at medium and low levels, while some in the east and northwest were high.
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The CDC’s COVID-19 community levels are updated Thursdays and 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 new cases per 100,000 people.
The agency advises people in high community level areas to wear a mask indoors and on public transportation, and people at a higher risk of severe illness should consider precautions in medium level areas.
“At the Medium Community Level, persons who are elderly or immunocompromised (at risk of severe outcomes) are advised to wear a mask in indoor public places. In addition, they should make sure to get up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines or get their 2nd booster, if eligible,” a Friday statement from IDPH said.
The CDC recommends staying up to date with vaccines and boosters for everyone, regardless of community level. More than 80% of Illinois residents over the age of 5 have received at least one dose, IDPH says, and more than 70% of residents older than 5 have been fully vaccinated.
In St. Clair County, IDPH reports 62.47% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, while 57.07% are fully vaccinated. Health officials have administered 75,246 booster shots in St. Clair County.
Federal health officials plan to offer a new booster shot to people 12 years and older soon after Labor Day, The New York Times reported. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization for their updated vaccines.
COVID-19 in St. Clair County and statewide
The CDC reported a seven-day case rate of 177.91 in St. Clair County in its Thursday update, and there were 9.3 new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 people. Additionally, 4.6% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by COVID-19 patients.
The county’s case rate has decreased by 8.51% in the last seven days, according to the CDC. Test positivity dropped by 4.48% and the rate of tests performed decreased by 4.68%.
IDPH reported Friday 24,297 new COVID-19 cases over the past week statewide, and the agency has recorded 82 COVID-19 deaths since Aug. 19.
As of Thursday night, IDPH said 1,310 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19, including 158 intensive care patients and 59 people on ventilators.
You can find testing information and schedule COVID-19 vaccines 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 28, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
