CDC rates more than 40 Illinois counties at elevated COVID-19 community levels

Meredith Howard
·3 min read
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The number of Illinois counties at elevated COVID-19 community levels has sharply increased over the last week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC rated 41 Illinois counties at medium COVID-19 community levels and five counties at high in the latest update, up from 20 medium level counties and one high level county last week.

Scott, Pike, Adams, Johnson and Knox counties are at high level, and medium counties include Randolph, Perry, Jackson, Greene, Montgomery, Morgan and others.

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.

The federal 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.

Here are the latest COVID-19 community levels in Illinois, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here are the latest COVID-19 community levels in Illinois, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 in Illinois, St. Clair County

The number of medium COVID-19 community level counties in Illinois nearly doubled from Nov. 18 to Nov. 25. Illinois Department of Public Health officials released a statement Nov. 23 urging residents to take precautions as viruses spread.

“...And as respiratory illnesses such as RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 are continuing to lead to illnesses and hospitalizations, there are a number of strategies that will keep us all healthy and safe,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the statement. “These include COVID-19 testing, especially if visiting someone at risk for severe disease; enhanced ventilation; good hand hygiene; staying home if sick; and getting up to date with both the COVID-19 bivalent booster and the flu shot…”

IDPH reported 14,388 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 59 deaths from Nov. 16 to Nov. 23.

The statewide daily case rate is 14.7 per 100,000 people as of Nov. 28, and 20% of the state’s intensive care unit beds are available. The seven-day rolling hospital admissions number is 113, up from 104 the week of Nov. 20.

St. Clair County’s daily case rate is 13 per 100,000 individuals, and 22% of the county’s ICU beds are available. The county’s seven-day rolling number of hospital admissions is two, and IDPH reported two COVID-19 deaths in the county.

The CDC reports St. Clair County’s weekly case rate is 83.95 per 100,000 people, up from 74.71 the previous week. There were eight new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 individuals, and 3.5% of the county’s staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Test positivity is at 4.51% in St. Clair County as of Nov. 22, according to the CDC. The rate of tests performed has dropped by 5.88% in the county, using data current through Nov. 18.

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.