Southwestern Illinois reports COVID-19 metrics. Here is a county-by-county look.

Garen Vartanian
·3 min read

COVID-19 positivity rates again showed increases from last week to this week, while ICU bed availability dropped and vaccinations rose.

Here is a breakdown of recent positivity rate data and vaccine distribution in Region 4, which consists of Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington counties.

Region 4 positivity rates

Positivity rate is one key metric the Illinois Department of Public Health measures to determine what mitigations may be needed to stem spread.

Below are some recent trends for Region 4, according to data released by the state health department Wednesday.

  • The positivity rate for Region 4 dropped slightly from 6.6% last week to 6.5% this week.

  • Five of the seven counties reported increases from last week to this week.

  • Five of the seven counties still reported positivity rates below the 8% threshold.

  • Four of the seven counties still reported lower positivity rates than from early September.

  • Two counties reported double-digit positivty rates of 10.2% and 11.0%.

While some of the current infection metrics appear trending in the wrong direction, cases are apparently not severe, which is consistent with early findings by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. According to state data:

  • The ICU bed availability has remained above the 20% threshold 95-straight days.

  • The Region 4 positivity rate has remained under the 8% threshold 97-consecutive days.

  • While there have been hospital patient increases every day since Nov. 18, the IDPH still reports 343 consecutive days of COVID-19 patient decreases or stable.

Here is a more detailed look at the seven-day rate fluctuations for Region 4 counties from one week ago and from the beginning of September, according to the most recent data released by the state health department Wednesday:

  • Region 4: 6.5% on Dec. 5; 6.6% on Nov. 28; and 6.6% on Sept. 3.

  • Bond County: 10.2% on Dec. 5; 5.1% on Nov. 28; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.

  • Clinton County: 6.0% on Dec. 5; 5.4% on Nov. 28; and 5.5% on Sept. 3.

  • Madison County: 6.5% on Dec. 5; 6.2% on Nov. 28; and 6.9% on Sept. 3.

  • Monroe County: 11.0% on Dec. 5; 8.7% on Nov. 28; and 8.1% on Sept. 3.

  • Randolph County: 4.7% on Dec. 5; 4.3% on Nov. 28; and 6.0% on Sept. 3.

  • St. Clair County: 6.2% on Dec. 5; 7.4% on Nov. 28; and 6.4% on Sept. 3.

  • Washington County: 6.5% on Dec. 5; 9.0% on Nov. 28; and 10.9% on Sept. 3.

Region 4’s ICU bed availability, meanwhile, dropped from 29% last week to 23% on Wednesday, according to state data. It recently was at 31% on Nov. 23 and 21% in early September.

Region 4 vaccinations

According to data released by the state health department Wednesday, 343,951 Region 4 residents have been fully vaccinated out of the estimated 660,225 who live in the region, or about 52.0%.

Madison and St. Clair counties continue to vaccinate the most individuals in Region 4, combining to fully vaccinate 275,862 people. Madison County leads the way with 141,073 fully vaccinated people.

Vaccine breakdown by county

Here is the latest vaccination data from Region 4:

  • Bond County: 7,202 people have been fully vaccinated, or 43.31% of the population.

  • Clinton County: 19,570 people have been fully vaccinated, or 51.99% of the population.

  • Madison County: 141,073 people have been fully vaccinated, or 53.34% of the population.

  • Monroe County: 19,202 people have been fully vaccinated, or 55.93% of the population.

  • Randolph County: 14,786 people have been fully vaccinated, or 46.05% of the population.

  • St. Clair County: 134,789 people have been fully vaccinated, or 51.63% of the population.

  • Washington County: 7,329 people have been fully vaccinated, or 52.37% of the population.

For state totals, according to Wednesday’s data, 7,510,469 Illinois residents have been fully vaccinated, or 58.95%.