Illinois health officials administer 188K new boosters. Here’s the latest COVID data
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated 20 Illinois counties at a high COVID-19 community level in its latest update.
The federal agency put Champaign, Clay, Coles, DeKalb, Douglas, Edgar, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Henderson, Jackson, Johnson, Perry, Richland, Scott, Stephenson, Vermilion, Wabash and Williamson counties at a high level as of Sept. 16.
St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Clinton, Macoupin, Monroe and Jefferson counties were at a low level, while Calhoun, Jersey, Washington, Randolph and Marion were at a medium level. The CDC categorized 46 counties in total at medium.
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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 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.
Bivalent booster shots in Illinois
Illinois Department of Public Health officials said in a Friday press release health care professionals had administered about 188,000 bivalent booster shots since authorities authorized their use.
Daily vaccination numbers have jumped to the highest level seen since early February, the state agency reported.
“It is very encouraging to see Illinois residents turning out in such strong numbers to take advantage of the updated bivalent booster shots that are now available,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the statement. “These new booster shots – designed specifically to offer extra protection from the dominant Omicron strain of the virus – are the latest, most advanced tool to protect Illinois residents from experiencing the worst effects of COVID-19. It’s important for everyone who is eligible to get up to date on vaccines and boosters as soon as possible, before a potential fall and winter surge leads to increased infections.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized Moderna’s updated booster for those ages 18 and older and Pfizer’s for those 12 and older. An individual is eligible for the updated vaccine if it’s been “at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine,” the FDA’s website says.
Several Walgreens locations in Belleville, Shiloh, O’Fallon and other areas are now offering appointments for the new booster shot.
COVID-19 in Illinois and St. Clair County
As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 1,153 people in the state were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 145 individuals in intensive care units and 49 patients on ventilators.
The statewide daily case rate is 19.7 per 100,000 people, according to IDPH, and 19% of ICU beds were available as of Friday. The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is 112, and the state reported 74 weekly deaths.
St. Clair County’s daily case rate is 17.1 per 100,000 people, and IDPH reported 24% of the county’s ICU beds were available. The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions in St. Clair County is two, and IDPH reported one weekly death in the county.
The CDC reported St. Clair County’s weekly case rate per 100,000 people was 132.85 (compared to 147.49 last week), and there were six new COVID-19 hospital admissions reported per 100,000 individuals. The federal agency also reported 4% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19.
Cases are down 20.28% in St. Clair County over the last week, the CDC reported, and test positivity decreased by 1.25%. The rate of tests performed decreased by 4.63%.
You can find COVID-19 testing and vaccination information 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 September 18, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
