Just 11% of St. Clair County ICU beds are available as COVID-19 surges across Illinois
The number of Illinois counties at elevated COVID-19 community levels jumped to 74 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest update, up from 63 last week.
The CDC rated 29 of the state’s counties at a high level and 45 at a medium level. High level counties include Macoupin, Montgomery, Franklin, Williamson, Johnson, Massac and others.
St. Clair, Monroe, Washington and Clinton counties were at a low level as of Dec. 8, while Madison, Bond, Randolph, Perry and Jackson are at a medium level.
Illinois Department of Public Health officials urged residents to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza in a Dec. 9 statement as the state grapples with a surge in respiratory viruses.
Increased circulation of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has led intensive care unit availability to drop to 14% in Illinois.
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 federal 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.
COVID-19 in St. Clair County and across Illinois
St. Clair County moved back to a low COVID-19 community level in the CDC’s Thursday update.
The locality’s weekly case rate increased to 155.19 per 100,000 individuals while the number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population decreased to 9.9 from 10.4. Just over 5% of the county’s staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19, according to the CDC.
Only 11% of St. Clair County’s ICU beds are available as of Dec. 9, IDPH reports, and the county’s daily case rate has increased to 21 per 100,000 people. The county’s seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is three, and IDPH reported two COVID-19 deaths.
Test positivity is at 6.99% in St. Clair County as of Dec. 5, according to the CDC. The rate of tests performed has dropped by 14.56%, using data current through Dec. 1.
The statewide daily case rate increased to 24 per 100,000 individuals, and the seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions has jumped to 153, compared to 145 last week and 113 the week of Nov. 25.
IDPH officials reported 21,404 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths since Dec. 2.
“Illinois is experiencing a significant rise in communities at elevated risk levels for COVID-19, including 29 counties at a high risk,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a Dec. 9 statement. “These elevated COVID-19 community levels, along with rising flu levels, are leading to a surge of respiratory infections and increased hospitalizations. I recommend all Illinoisians - and especially those most vulnerable including young children and individuals over 65 - take all preventative steps to protect themselves, their families and friends.”
State health officials recommend preventative measures such as COVID-19 and flu vaccination, staying home when sick, testing, hand-washing and enhanced ventilation. Additionally, Vohra advised those who test positive to immediately contact their health care provider to determine whether antiviral medication is needed.
As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 1,582 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 188 ICU patients and 69 individuals on ventilators.
Testing and vaccination information is available 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 December 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
