Illinois counties at high COVID community level drop from 20 to 3. See latest data

Belleville News-Democrat - 9/25/2022

Sep. 25—The U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated only three Illinois counties at high COVID-19 community levels in its latest update, down from 20 high counties last week.

The federal agency put Jefferson, Wayne and Ford counties at high levels. The CDC categorized 33 counties at medium levels, including Washington, Marion, Fayette, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson, Union and others.

St. Clair, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Clinton, Bond, Calhoun and Jersey 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-19 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.

How many Illinois residents are opting for new booster shots?

Health care professionals in the state have administered 341,000 bivalent booster shots since federal authorities authorized them, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported in a Sept. 23 statement.

IDPH also reported the state's daily vaccination numbers are at the highest level seen since early February, when omicron cases soared.

"Illinois is fortunate to have a significant supply of bivalent boosters. I strongly urge all that are eligible to contact their local pharmacies or medical providers to get protected as soon as possible — both from COVID-19 and the flu," IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the statement. "These vaccines are especially important for those most vulnerable to severe illness, such as those individuals over 50, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised."

COVID-19 in Illinois and St. Clair County

The statewide daily case rate is 19.5 per 100,000 people, IDPH reported, and 19% of intensive care units are available in Illinois. The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is 98, and IDPH reported 62 weekly deaths statewide.

St. Clair County's daily case rate is 17.2 per 100,000 individuals, and IDPH reported 24% of the county's ICU beds are available. The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions in St. Clair County is one, and IDPH reported one weekly death in the county.

The CDC reported St. Clair County's weekly case rate was 120.15 per 100,000 population, and there were 4.1 COVID-19 related hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the county. Additionally, the federal agency reported 3% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 as of Thursday.

The case rate in St. Clair County dropped by 9.57% over the past week, according to the CDC, and test positivity decreased by 0.99% while the rate of tests performed jumped by 17.3%.

As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 1,069 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 147 in ICUs and 40 patients 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.

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