26 IL counties are at medium COVID community levels. What to know in St. Clair County
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 26 Illinois counties were at a medium COVID-19 community level and zero were at a high in the Thursday update. Last week, Perry, Jackson, Franklin and Williamson counties were at a high level.
Medium level counties this week include Calhoun, Pike, Adams, Perry, Jackson, Jefferson and more. St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Clinton, Washington, Randolph and Bond counties were at a low level.
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.
People in high community level areas are advised to wear a mask indoors and on public transportation, and the federal agency says people at a higher risk of severe illness should consider precautions in medium-level areas.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 10,320 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 45 deaths in the week ending March 5. IDPH has reported 4,083,292 cases and 36,431 deaths statewide since the pandemic began.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a March 10 statement COVID-19 cases “remain stable” throughout the state, but group A strep throat case numbers are rising. More cases have been reported in 2023 than in any of the previous five years, IDPH reports.
“As COVID-19 cases and community levels remain stable, I want to share my concern about the growing number of strep throat cases in Illinois that are leading to severe complications,” Vohra said in the statement. “These cases, known as invasive Group A strep, are the result of disease spreading from the throat to blood, muscle and lungs. I urge parents to contact their health providers when their children start showing early symptoms. These symptoms include sudden onset of sore throat, pain when swallowing and fever. Early detection is critical as strep can be diagnosed with a simple test and treated with antibiotics. If able, please make sure everyone in the house is up to date with flu and chickenpox vaccines. Having either the flu or chickenpox can increase your risk of contracting invasive Group A strep.”
COVID-19 in St. Clair County, across Illinois
St. Clair County’s weekly case rate increased from 68.93 to 75.09 this week, according to the CDC. The county’s hospitalization rate remained stable, with an average of 6.3 residents per 100,000 hospitalized with COVID-19.
The portion of St. Clair County staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 declined from 4% to 3% this week.
Just under 20% of Illinois’ intensive care unit beds were available as of Thursday. In southwestern Illinois, IDPH’s Region 4, 19% of ICU beds and 91% of ventilators were available.
Test positivity was at 3.03% in St. Clair County as of March 6, the CDC reports, while the rate of tests performed had increased by 28.23% as of March 2.
More than 74% of St. Clair County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to the CDC, while 65.8% completed the primary vaccination series. Bivalent boosters have seen a lower uptake, with a rate of 14.3% in the county.
Across Illinois, vaccination rates are higher:
79.1% of Illinois residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine
71.4% have completed the primary vaccination series
19.7% have gotten the bivalent booster, the CDC reports.
Information about vaccination and testing is available online in St. Clair County.
Note: Some CDC data, such as test positivity rates, the number of tests performed and weekly 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 March 12, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
