16 IL counties at medium COVID-19 community level. How popular are the new boosters?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated zero Illinois counties at a high COVID-19 community level for the third consecutive week while reporting 16 counties were at a medium level in a Thursday update.
Montgomery, Macoupin, Greene, Pike, Adams, Perry, Franklin, Jackson, Williamson, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Champaign, Ford, Stephenson and Jo Daviess counties are at a medium level as of Oct. 13.
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 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.
Authorities endorse bivalent boosters for children
CDC officials announced in an Oct. 12 statement bivalent booster shots can be administered to children ages 5 to 11, an expansion on previous guidance.
The Illinois Department of Public Health also endorsed the use of bivalent booster shots for children starting at age 5, as the agency announced in an emailed press release Oct. 14.
“I was pleased to see the CDC expand updated COVID-19 vaccines to include children aged 5 to 11 years old,” IDPH Director Sameer Vohra said in the statement. “This expansion comes at a critical time in Illinois and across the country, as we are seeing a sharp increase in severe childhood respiratory infections resulting in a shortage of available pediatric hospital beds.”
Along with recommending people vaccinate against COVID-19 this fall, health professionals also advise taking precautions for flu season.
“The updated bivalent COVID-19 booster, along with the flu vaccine, give parents two powerful tools to protect their children from severe illness and hospitalization. With a surge in childhood respiratory illnesses already occurring, and the possibility of diseases like COVID-19 and the flu rising later this fall and winter, now is the best time to get these safe, effective vaccinations,” Vohra continued.
Health care professionals have administered more than 890,000 doses of bivalent boosters to Illinois residents, IDPH reported.
Bivalent booster vaccination rates in Illinois may be higher than the national average. IDPH reported Oct. 14 10.5% of the eligible population had received the bivalent booster (before the recent expansion including younger children), while less than 4% of the total U.S. population opted for the shot so far, according to Sept. 22 data from the CDC.
You can search online at vaccines.gov to locate a pharmacy near you that’s offering bivalent booster shots.
COVID-19 in St. Clair County and statewide
IDPH has reported 10,416 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 52 deaths in Illinois since Oct. 7.
The statewide daily case rate is 11.7 per 100,000 people, down from 12.8 last week, and 18% of Illinois’ intensive care unit beds are available, according to IDPH. As of Oct. 14, the seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is 62, but IDPH noted hospital admission data is currently delayed due to “processing problems at the federal level.”
IDPH reported 52 weekly deaths across the state, and zero COVID-19 deaths were reported in St. Clair County for the week.
The county’s daily case rate is 9.8 per 100,000 people, IDPH reported, and 21% of the county’s ICU beds are available. The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions in St. Clair County is one, but subject to change due to the delay in data.
The CDC reported St. Clair County’s weekly case rate is 65.46 per 100,000 individuals, and there were 4.7 new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 county residents.
The portion of county staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed cases has decreased slightly from last week, from 3% to 2.9%.
Test positivity in St. Clair County is at 3.85%, the CDC reported, and the rate of tests performed has dropped by 7.96%.
As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 991 individuals were in the hospital with COVID-19, including 112 patients in ICUs and 39 people on ventilators.
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.
