Illinois reports 5.2K new COVID cases as federal officials expand vaccine eligibility

Meredith Howard
·3 min read
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Federal health officials reported just two Illinois counties, Iroquois and Kankakee, were at medium COVID-19 levels as of Thursday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated zero Illinois counties at a high level, continuing a five-week trend.

The CDC community levels are updated Thursdays and are 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 5,278 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and nine deaths for the week ending April 16, down from 5,584 cases and 16 deaths in the previous week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated two Illinois counties at medium COVID-19 levels, seen here in yellow, as of April 20, 2023.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated two Illinois counties at medium COVID-19 levels, seen here in yellow, as of April 20, 2023.

Vaccine guideline update

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated their guidelines this week to authorize a second bivalent booster shot for some individuals.

Those aged 65 and older are eligible at least four months after their first bivalent vaccine, and people who are immunocompromised can get another shot two months after their first bivalent dose.

“The FDA and CDC’s decision to approve a second COVID-19 booster this week demonstrates the real risk that this illness continues to pose for specific groups,” Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in an April 21 statement. “Although Illinois overall continues to have low COVID-19 community levels, the virus is still circulating and causing hospitalizations. Vaccines remain the best tool to prevent serious illness. I encourage those individuals who are over 65 or immunocompromised to speak with their health care provider about the benefits of this additional COVID-19 booster.”

Only about 21% of Illinois residents have received a bivalent booster vaccine so far, according to CDC data through April 20.

Note: This graphic will automatically update as new data become available.

COVID-19 in St. Clair County, Illinois

St. Clair County’s weekly case rate has dropped to 24.65 cases per 100,000 people, the CDC reports. In early January, that rate was 112.44.

New hospital admissions increased from 2.5 to 3.6 per 100,000 people, and 1.6% of St. Clair County’s staffed inpatient beds were in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Intensive care unit availability was at 11% in southwestern Illinois Thursday, the state health department reported, and 12% of the region’s ventilators were in use. Statewide, 532 ICU beds were available out of 2,870.

Test positivity was at 1.03% in St. Clair County as of April 17, the CDC reported, and the rate of tests performed had increased by 5.44% as of April 13.

As of Thursday night, Illinois Department of Public Health reported 558 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, including 65 ICU patients and 44 individuals on ventilators.

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.