St. Clair County moves back to high COVID-19 community level as hospital admissions rise

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved St. Clair County back to a high COVID-19 community level in Thursday’s update.

The county was at a medium level last week and a high level for the previous two consecutive weeks.

Monroe and Clinton counties jumped from a low to high level as of Aug. 11. Calhoun, Madison, Fayette, Marion and Randolph counties are also at high levels, and Jersey, Bond and Washington are at a medium level.

St. Clair County’s case rate per 100,000 individuals decreased to 211.79 (compared to 251.46 last week), but new COVID-19 hospital admissions increased to rate of 10.2. The portion of staffed, inpatient hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients dropped by 0.1% to 4.6%.

Test positivity in St. Clair County is up 0.09%, and the rate of tests performed has risen 20.47%. The county’s seven-day average total case rate is down 12.3%, according to the CDC.

The CDC designates 42 Illinois counties at a high level and 48 at a medium level. There are now 12 counties statewide at a low level, up from nine counties at a low level last Thursday.

Here’s the latest CDC COVID-19 community levels in Illinois.
Here’s the latest CDC COVID-19 community levels in Illinois.

A county’s community level is based on metrics from the past seven days, including new COVID-19 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 CDC has designated every county in Illinois at a high transmission level, a separate metric, for the fifth consecutive week. The community transmission level is based on the past seven days’ number of cases per 100,000 people and portion of positive nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs).

The agency recommends indoor masking in areas at high community levels, and staying up to date with vaccines and boosters is recommended for everyone regardless of community designation.

Those who have come in contact with someone who tested positive or who have symptoms themselves should wear a mask and get tested.

The CDC announced Thursday it has loosened COVID-19 exposure guidelines. Previous messaging said people who are unvaccinated and exposed to COVID-19 should quarantine, but now the CDC recommends wearing a high-quality mask for 10 days and testing on day five in lieu of the quarantine.

Regardless of vaccination status, the CDC still advises people who are infected with COVID-19 to isolate. The agency also recommends those who feel sick but are awaiting test results to isolate until they receive a negative result or until they’ve completed isolation for a positive result.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported St. Clair County’s daily case rate at 25.7 per 100,000 people, down from 34.9 last week. Intensive care unit bed availability in the county increased to 19% from 16%.

The seven-day average rolling hospital admissions metric is at three, and IDPH reported three weekly COVID-19 deaths in St. Clair County.

Illinois’ statewide daily case rate is at 29.7 per 100,000 individuals. ICU bed availability is at 18% for the state, and the seven-day average rolling hospital admissions number is 142.

An Aug. 12 IDPH press release said as of Thursday night, 1,471 individuals were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19; 181 of those patients were in the ICU and 67 were on ventilators.

IDPH reported 123 weekly COVID-19 deaths, more than twice as many as last week.

You can schedule a COVID-19 vaccine or find testing locations 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.