ICU bed availability at 14% in southwestern Illinois. The latest on COVID-19 spread
The number of Illinois counties at elevated COVID-19 community levels remained “relatively low” this week, state officials reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated 13 Illinois counties at a medium COVID-19 community level Thursday, including Greene, White, Pike, Adams and others. For the second consecutive week, no counties were at a high level.
St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Clinton, Bond, Washington, Randolph, St. Louis City and St. Louis County were all at low levels.
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 7,879 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths for the week ending March 26.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra wrote in a March 31 statement Illinois residents should assess their risk for COVID-19 complications.
“I am once again pleased to see COVID-19 community levels remain relatively low,” Vohra said in the statement. “As we enter the spring season, I encourage Illinois residents to discuss their risk for serious illness with their medical provider and perform safe public health practices to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
COVID-19 in St. Clair County, across Illinois
The CDC reports St. Clair County’s weekly COVID-19 case rate dropped to 50.83 per 100,000 individuals this week, compared to 55.84 last week. The county’s hospitalization rate has remained stable at 6.3 people hospitalized per 100,000 residents.
The portion of staffed, inpatient hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients declined from 3.5% to 2.5% this week.
Intensive care unit availability was at 14% in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday, IDPH reported. That equates to 13 available ICU beds out of the region’s capacity of 93 beds.
Test positivity was at 2.37% in St. Clair County as of March 27, the CDC reports, while the rate of tests performed spiked by 43.55% as of March 23.
Statewide, 20% of ICU beds are available and Illinois’ weekly case rate is 48.4 per 100,000 people, according to IDPH.
As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 840 Illinois residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 104 patients in the ICU and 26 people on ventilators. IDPH reported three COVID-19 deaths in Madison County for the week, and none in St. Clair.
Vaccines in Illinois
In Illinois, more than half of the population is vaccinated against COVID-19, but less than 20% have received a bivalent booster, according to the CDC.
Here are the latest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Illinois:
79.1% of Illinois’ total population has received at least one dose
71.4% have completed the primary vaccination series
19.9% have received a bivalent booster vaccination
In St. Clair County, COVID-19 vaccination rates are lower:
74.4% have received at least one dose
65.8% have completed the primary vaccination series
14.5% have received a bivalent booster vaccination
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.
