COVID-19 positivity rates drop in St. Clair County, Region 4 in southwest Illinois
St. Clair County’s daily COVID-19 positivity rate dropped again Thursday, while the county reported 43 cases and no new deaths.
The county’s positivity rate Thursday was 4.7%, down from 5.9% on Wednesday. Thursday marked the 26th day the county’s positivity rate was below 8%, according to county officials, and the eighth consecutive day it was under 6.5%. The daily positivity rate is the percentage of positives from a day’s worth of coronavirus tests.
The county’s seven-day rolling positivity rate Thursday was 5.1% — according to county officials — down from 5.3% on Wednesday.
“Our county positivity rate is low. It’s time somebody takes a look at that number. Certainly, we’re glad Team St. Clair is a part of the solution to this problem,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said during the daily briefing Thursday.
Regional positivity rate is under 8% for 5th consecutive day
As for Region 4, the state reported the rolling seven-day average positivity rate dropped from 7.3% on Wednesday to 7.1% on Thursday, marking the fifth day in a row the region’s rate has been below 8%. This is the lowest the positivity rate has been since Aug. 5.
Illinois provides the rate for each region at dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics. Information on the website is delayed by three days, so Monday, Sept. 21, was the latest data available Thursday.
The state defines the metro-east, or Region 4, as St. Clair, Madison, Clinton, Randolph, Monroe, Bond and Washington counties. If the region reaches the state’s 6.5% positivity rate threshold, some restrictions may be lifted, according to the state’s Rebuild Illinois plan.
“That is good that the state is bringing our number down,” Kern said. “It’s pretty clear that St. Clair County is what’s driving that downward trend in the region. So we’re going to encourage our neighbors to help us a little bit and we’ll get below 6.5%. It looks like St. Clair County is dragging the region closer to 6.5%, but we’ve got to get there.”
Added St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons: “We’d get there a lot quicker if we’d get some help. It’s a team effort. It’s not just Team St. Clair, but the entire region. Two things ... get a little help from the state and get some help from our surrounding counties, I think we could push this thing a lot quicker. Right now, we’re at a bit of a snail’s pace.”
On a related note, excitement was high Thursday when it appeared the Illinois Department of Public Health — erroneously as it turned out — had removed Region 4 out of mitigation.
“We were all excited here. Everybody was excited. But they went back and corrected it,” Simmons said.
Meanwhile, the state’s seven-day positivity rate from Sept. 17-23 remained at 3.5%.
Thursday’s COVID-19 case breakdown for Region 4
Overall, 132 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death were reported in the region Thursday. Madison County reported 54 new cases and five new deaths, its highest daily death total due to COVID-19 since May 22.
The county reported that the deaths included a man in his 70s, a woman in her 80s, two women in their 80s and a man in his 80s. It is unknown if any of them had underlying health conditions. That brings the county’s death total to 131 since the pandemic began.
As noted earlier, St. Clair County reported 43 new cases and no new deaths.
Monroe County reported five new cases and one new death — a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions, according to county officials. This brings the county’s death total to 15 since the pandemic began.
Elsewhere in Region 4 on Thursday, Clinton County reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, while Bond County reported 11 new cases and Randolph County reported three new cases. Washington County did not report any new data Thursday.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health, regionally, 38% of the metro-east’s hospital beds were available Thursday, up from 36% Wednesday. Additionally, 59% of the ICU beds were available Thursday, up from 58% on Wednesday, also according to the IDPH.
Regionally, as of Thursday, 91 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19, up from 84 on Wednesday, with seven of those patients on ventilators, the same number as Wednesday.
Outside of Region 4, nearby Macoupin County reported 14 new cases of coronavirus Thursday. Calhoun County reported five new cases and Jersey County reported two new cases. The Perry County Health Department reported there was no new data Thursday on its Facebook page.
St. Clair County’s latest rundown
St. Clair County has now reported a total of 7,153 positive cases and 187 deaths.
St. Clair County reported 57 hospitalizations, up from 52 on Wednesday. There were five patients on ventilators as of Thursday, up from four Wednesday. While pleased with St. Clair County’s positivity rate and general numbers, health officials expressed concern over the amount of hospitalizations and people on ventilators during Thursday’s briefing.
At congregate living centers in St. Clair County, 13 new cases were reported at Integrity Healthcare of Smithton. However, St. Clair County Health Department Emergency Response Coordinator Sam Bierman noted not all 13 cases were from Thursday; some were from the end of last week. No other congregate living centers in St. Clair County reported new cases Thursday.
The county’s new cases included young people under 10 to individuals in their 90s. Of the 43 new cases reported by the county, 18 of the individuals were in their 40s or younger. No county ZIP codes reported a double digit increase Thursday.
“I’m proud to be a part of Team St. Clair. Please continue to be a supporter of this effort and getting this behind us. We’ve all got to move forward, and we can do that as a team,” Simmons said.
Madison County by the Numbers
Madison County has reported a total of 5,518 cases and 131 deaths as of Thursday.
The county’s daily positivity rate rose from 8.40% Wednesday to 9.26% on Thursday. The county’s seven-day positivity rate decreased from 7.82% on Wednesday to 7.37% on Thursday.
As of Thursday, 23 COVID-19 patients were in Madison County hospitals, up from 22 on Wednesday. Two of those patients were on ventilators, the same as Wednesday’s total.
Individuals diagnosed with the virus Thursday ranged in age from under 10 to their 90s, and of the 54 new cases, 35 were people in their 40s or younger.
One county ZIP code reported a double digit increase Thursday — 62040, Granite City, Pontoon Beach: +10 for a total of 817.
Illinois reports new cases, deaths
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced 2,257 new positive cases and 30 additional deaths Thursday.
A total of 281,371 Illinois residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and 8,538 people have died. Nearly 5.3 million tests for COVID-19 have been conducted, 62,071 of which were tested in the last 24 hours.
As of Wednesday evening, when the latest data was available, 1,713 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19. According to IDPH, 400 of those patients were in the ICU and 155 were on ventilators.
The figures for hospitalizations and intensive care bed usage by persons with COVID-19 are the highest since June, as of the end of the day Wednesday.
Southwestern Illinois COVID-19 statistics
ZIP code-level numbers below are provided by the state each afternoon at dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics. Madison and Macoupin counties compile their own statistics by ZIP code later in the day, so the numbers may differ from what appears on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website. The Belleville News-Democrat reports the information county health departments provide.
ZIP codes with fewer than five cases of the virus are not reported by health officials. The number in parentheses after each ZIP code below reflects the change from the previous day’s cumulative total. A decrease reflects a correction.
All other information comes from local health departments. The “recoveries” figure refers to the number of people who completed the required isolation period in most counties.
Here are the latest available statistics for southwestern Illinois counties:
ST. CLAIR COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 43 new positives, 913 new tests administered, 52 new recoveries, five additional hospitalizations, one additional patient on a ventilator.
Total overall: 7,153 positives, 187 deaths, 83,394 tests administered, 6,517 recoveries, 57 hospitalizations with five patients on ventilators.
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 5.3%; 7-day rolling average, 6%
ZIP codes with positives:
62059 (Brooklyn): 14
62201 (East St. Louis): 236
62203 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Washington Park, Caseyville): 204 (+2)
62204 (East St. Louis): 142
62205 (East St. Louis, Alorton, Centreville): 202
62206 (East St. Louis, Cahokia): 434 (+2)
62207 (East St. Louis, Centreville, Alorton): 246
62208 (Fairview Heights): 430 (+1)
62220 (Belleville, Smithton): 571 (+3)
62221 (Belleville): 671 (+4)
62223 (Belleville, Swansea): 419
62225 (Scott Air Force Base): 31
62226 (Belleville, Swansea): 734 (+6)
62232 (Fairview Heights, Caseyville): 194
62239 (Dupo): 104 (+3)
62240 (Dupo): 34 (+1)
62243 (Freeburg): 108
62254 (Lebanon): 260 (+2)
62255 (Lenzburg): 16
62257 (Marissa): 35
62258 (Mascoutah, Fayetteville): 190 (+1)
62260 (Millstadt): 144
62264 (New Athens): 100 (+2)
62269 (O’Fallon): 557 (+2)
62282 (St. Libory): 12
62285 (Smithton): 111 (+1)
62289 (Summerfield): 6
MADISON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 54 new positives, five new deaths, 583 new tests administered, one additional hospitalization
Total overall: 5,518 positives, 131 deaths, 72,959 tests administered, 2,938 recoveries, 23 hospitalizations with two patients on ventilators
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 3.4%; 7-day rolling average, 7%
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62001 (Kaufman, Alhambra): 26 (+1)
- 62002 (Alton, East Alton, Godfrey): 842 (+2)
- 62010 (Bethalto): 248
- 62012 (Godfrey): 15
- 62018 (Alton, Bethalto, East Alton): 62
- 62021 (Dorsey): 14
- 62024 (East Alton): 140 (+1)
- 62025 (Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana): 685 (+6)
- 62034 (Glen Carbon): 287 (+9)
- 62035 (Godfrey): 431 (+6)
- 62040 (Granite City, Pontoon Beach): 817 (+10)
- 62046 (Hamel): 14 (+1)
- 62048 (Edwardsville, Granite City, Roxana, Hartford): 16
- 62060 (Granite City, Madison, Venice): 119
- 62061 (Marine): 32
- 62062 (Maryville): 116 (+5)
- 62067 (Moro): 57
62074 (New Douglas): 9
- 62084 (Edwardsville, Wood River, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, South Roxana): 29
- 62087 (Edwardsville, Roxana, South Roxana, Hartford): 27
- 62088 (Staunton, Livingston, Williamson): 6
- 62090 (Madison, Venice): 31
- 62095 (Wood River): 182
- 62097 (Prairietown, Worden): 49
- 62201: (East St. Louis, Sauget, Fairmont City, Madison, National City): 6
- 62234 (Collinsville, Pontoon Beach, State Park Place): 574 (+6)
- 62249 (Highland): 327 (+4)
62275 (Pocahontas, Old Ripley, Jamestown): 20
62281 (St. Jacob): 53
62293: (St. Morgan): 8
- 62294 (Troy): 246 (+4)
CLINTON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 16 new positives, 46 new recoveries
Total overall: 1,117 positives, 20 deaths, 880 recoveries, eight hospitalizations
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 12.1%; 7-day rolling average, 13.2%
ZIP codes with positives:
62215 (Albers, Damiansville): 50 (-1)
62216 (Aviston): 114 (+3)
62218 (Bartelso): 73 (+2)
62230 (Breese): 199 (+1)
62231 (Carlyle): 224 (+4)
62245 (Germantown): 55 (+1)
62265 (New Baden): 122 (+1)
62293 (Trenton): 110
62801 (Centralia): 316 (+5)
RANDOLPH COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: Three new positives, 156 new tests administered, five new recoveries
Total overall: 941 positives, 11 deaths, 12,123 tests administered, 881 recoveries
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 4.2%; 7-day rolling average, 3.6%
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62217 (Baldwin): 17
- 62233 (Chester): 349 (-2)
- 62237 (Coulterville): 63
- 62241 (Ellis Grove): 24 (+1)
- 62242 (Evansville): 24
- 62272 (Percy): 64
- 62277 (Prairie Du Rocher): 10
- 62278 (Red Bud): 146
- 62286 (Sparta): 158 (+2)
- 62288 (Steeleville): 100
- 62292 (Tilden): 6
- 62297 (Walsh): 6
- 62916 (Campbell Hill): 15
MONROE COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: Five new positives, one new death
Total overall: 647 positives, 15 deaths
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 6.5%; 7-day rolling average, 5.5%
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62236 (Columbia): 254 (+1)
- 62244 (Fults): 7
- 62295 (Valmeyer): 29
- 62298 (Waterloo): 323 (+2)
BOND COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 11 new positives, 89 new tests administered
Total overall: 310 positives, six deaths, 14,164 tests administered, three hospitalizations
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 11.6%; 7-day rolling average, 11.4%
ZIP codes with positives:
62086 (Sorento): 12
62246 (Greenville): 200 (+7)
62262 (Mulberry Grove): 23 (+2)
62275 (Pocahontas, Old Ripley): 75 (-1)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data as of 6:30 p.m.
Total overall: 198 positives, one death, 170 recoveries
Positivity rate of of Sept. 21: Daily, 13.6%; 7-day rolling average, 10.7%
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62214 (Venedy, Addieville): 15
- 62263 (Nashville, New Minden): 83
- 62268 (Oakdale): 11
- 62271 (Okawville): 29
- 62808 (Ashley): 17
- 62848 (Irvington): 17
MACOUPIN COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: 14 new positives, 13 new recoveries
Total overall: 555 positives, nine deaths, 241 recoveries, four hospitalizations
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62009 (Benld, Sawyerville, Mount Clare): 11
- 62012 (Brighton): 118 (+1)
- 62014 (Bunker Hill): 41
62033 (Gillespie): 94 (+4)
62063 (Medora, Summerville, Kemper, Rockbridge): 8
62069 (Mount Olive): 32
- 62088 (Staunton): 104 (+4)
- 62626 (Carlinville): 66 (+1)
- 62640 (Girard): 15
- 62674 (Palmyra, Barr): 15
- 62685 (Royal Lakes, Plainview, Shipman): 15
- 62690 (Virden): 30
JERSEY COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: Two new positives, 10 new recoveries
Total overall: 382 positives, 14 deaths, 310 recoveries, 5,963 tests administered
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62022 (Newbern): 22 (+1)
- 62028 (Elsah): 8
- 62031 (Fieldon): 10
- 62037 (Grafton): 33
- 62052 (Jerseyville): 249
PERRY COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: No new data
Total overall: 344 positives, 16 deaths, 309 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62238 (Cutler): 15
- 62274 (Pinckneyville): 160
- 62832 (Du Quoin): 107
- 62888 (Tamaroa): 27
- 62997 (Willisville): 8
CALHOUN COUNTY
Thursday’s new data: Five new positives
Total overall: 59 positives, 35 recoveries
ZIP codes with positives:
- 62036 (Golden Eagle): 7
- 62047 (Hardin): 13
State, nation, world statistics
Here are the latest available statistics from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus map as of Thursday afternoon:
Illinois: 281,371 cases, 8,538 deaths
U.S.: 7,146,880 cases, 206,864 deaths, 4,400,591 recoveries
World: 32,192,581 cases, 983,546 deaths, 23,750,175 recoveries
Testing sites in southwestern Illinois
The St. Clair County Health Department has announced free COVID-19 testing in the following locations:
- Friday, Sept. 25: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at Moody Park, 525 S. Ruby Lane, Fairview Heights. Testing will be done by a nasal swab. Testing for adults and children over 6 months of age.
Friday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at Cahokia Fitness Center, 509 Camp Jackson Road.
No appointment is necessary. Masks are required. Results may take up to a week to receive. Do not call for results. The St. Clair County Health Department will call when the results are available.
The IDPH also offers free walk-up and drive-thru COVID-19 testing seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until they meet their capacity per day) at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis, Highway 64 West, exit 4A.
Capacity is limited. Hours of operation are subject to change based on available equipment. For more information, visit http://dph.illinois.gov/testing.
Additionally, Touchette Regional Hospital and SIHF Healthcare offer daily testing in Belleville and Wood River by first calling 618-646-2596 for an appointment.
Get the latest news on coronavirus
BND.com will keep you updated throughout the day with information about the spread of the coronavirus in southwestern Illinois.
You can also find the most complete and up-to-date information from government sites including:
- State of Illinois’ COVID-19 page: coronavirus.illinois.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html
- Federal government’s coronavirus page: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Who to call about mental health
Here are some resources from mental health professionals for anyone struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Illinois Human Services Mental Health Division’s Call4Calm: Text the word “talk” to 552020 to text with a mental health care professional for free.
- Centerstone of Illinois Inc.: Call 618-462-2331 for virtual mental health services.
- Chestnut Health Systems: Call 618-877-4420 for virtual mental health services.
- Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous: Call 618-398-9409 or email metroeastnapr@gmail.com to learn about virtual meetings.
- Regional Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Response Team: Call a support line for health care professionals at 618-381-5173.
Contact BND with tips, concerns, suggestions
If you have suggestions about something for the BND to cover regarding the COVID-19 pandemic or if you see a report that sounds suspicious on social media or anywhere else, please drop us a note at newsroom@bnd.com and include a link. We’ll check it out.
We’d like to hear from healthcare workers
The BND would like to speak with nurses, doctors and other health care professionals who are on the front lines caring for patients in doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals during this difficult time. We’re interested in hearing about your challenges and rewards, frustrations and accomplishments. How is this affecting you? Send us an email at newsroom@bnd.com.
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This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 5:04 PM.