All IL counties at medium, low COVID community level. What to know about case drops

Oct. 2—For the first time since May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated zero Illinois counties at a high COVID-19 community level in its Thursday update.

The federal agency put 20 counties at a medium level, including Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Hardin, Cumberland, Coles, Douglas, Champaign, Ford, Marshall, Peoria, Fulton, Mason, Tazewell, Henderson, Whiteside, Carroll and Lake.

Last week the number of counties at high had fallen drastically, from 20 to three.

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.

New booster shots in Illinois

While COVID-19 case rates are down in many areas in the state, Illinois Public Health Department officials cautioned residents to stay vigilant in a Sept. 30 emailed statement.

"It is encouraging to see the large number of Illinoisans who are taking advantage of the added protection offered by the new bivalent boosters," IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the email. "And while the case rate has been declining, this is not the time for anyone to let their guard down.

"As we head into fall and face a potential surge in new cases, I urge everyone who is eligible to contact their healthcare provider or local pharmacy to get the updated booster AND their flu shot. 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," he continued.

IDPH reports health care professionals have administered 493,000 bivalent booster shots since federal authorities approved them, including 137,000 doses in the past week. About 4.4% of people who are eligible for updated booster shots have received them so far, according to IDPH. The bivalent booster vaccination rate is 10% for Illinois residents 65 years and older.

COVID-19 in St. Clair County, across Illinois

IDPH has reported 10,945 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases since Sept. 23, the lowest weekly number of new cases recorded since April 8.

While case rates are down in St. Clair County and statewide, the county's rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions increased over the last week.

The statewide daily case rate is 12.3 per 100,000 people, IDPH reported, down from 19.5 last week. Intensive care unit availability has stayed the same week-to-week at 19%, according to IDPH.

The seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is 78, compared to 98 last week, and IDPH reported 64 weekly deaths statewide.

St. Clair County's daily case rate is 10.3 per 100,000 individuals, and IDPH reported 25% 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 90.88 per 100,000 population, and there were 5.2 COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people in the county, compared to 4.1 admissions last week.

The federal agency also reported 2.9% of staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 as of Thursday.

St. Clair County's weekly case rate is down 24.36% from last week, the CDC reported, and test positivity decreased by 1.95%, while the rate of tests performed dropped by 15.8%.

As of Thursday night, IDPH reported 899 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 130 in ICUs and 31 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.

This story was originally published October 2, 20225:45 AM.

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