St. Clair County reports decreases in multiple COVID metrics, but numbers remain high

Garen Vartanian
·5 min read

St. Clair County continued to see high COVID-19 case totals for the week of Jan. 13-19, while deaths and hospitalizations decreased but still remained high.

Overall, during Wednesday’s weekly briefing, health officials announced 4,697 new COVID-19 cases the past week in St. Clair County. That number is down from the 5,334 cases reported Jan. 6-12. In recent weeks, 4,249 cases were reported from Dec. 30-Jan. 5; 1,552 cases reported the week of Dec. 23-29; 1,050 cases reported the week of Dec. 16-22; and 1,048 cases reported the week of Dec. 9-15.

Additionally, the county announced 12 new deaths — a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s, both with underlying health conditions; and a man in his 60s, five women in their 70s, two men in their 70s and two men in their 80s, all with unknown health conditions — after reporting 19 new deaths from Jan. 6-12

Hospitalization numbers in St. Clair County also decreased from 136 last week to 129 this week. The number of patients on ventilators dropped as well, from five last week to four this week.

County health officials, meanwhile, reported a weekly and seven-day positivity rate of 26.7% during Wednesday’s weekly briefing, down from 28.9% last week, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Overall, the county now has 61,593 cases — including 20,572 the past nine weeks — and 639 deaths since the pandemic began.

“The numbers are still way high, but at least they’re starting to tick downward,” St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said Wednesday. “We’re starting to see that I think in the region, so we hope that (that) trend continues, but these numbers are really way up there.”

Also, St. Clair County health officials continue to see high case numbers among the younger population, with decreases and increases from last week noted:

  • 63% of current positive cases are under 40, up from 59% last week.

  • 15.8% of current positive cases are under 20, up from 14.3% last week.

  • 15.5% of current positive cases are under 10, up from 9% last week.

COVID still hitting unvaccinated people hardest

The latest data from local medical facilities continues to show unvaccinated people stand a higher chance of being hospitalized than vaccinated people, if they catch the COVID-19 virus.

St. Clair County Health Department Director Myla Blandford again presented the weekly graphic from Touchette Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s hospital breaking down overall hospitalizations, ICU patients and those on ventilators among vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Here are the results:

  • Hospitalizations: 129 people total hospitalized, with 95 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 136 people were hospitalized, with 95 of them unvaccinated.

  • ICU: 16 individuals total in the ICU, with 11 of them unvaccinated. Last week, 15 people were in the ICU, with nine of them unvaccinated.

  • Ventilators: Four individuals total on a ventilator, with all four of them unvaccinated. Last week, five patients were on a ventilator, with all five of them unvaccinated.

According to the data the Illinois Department of Public Health reported Wednesday, nearly 54% (140,524) of St. Clair County residents are fully vaccinated and a little more than 60% (157,058) have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“There’s not a 100% guarantee,” St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons said of getting vaccinated. “Nobody has ever said that. Nobody will ever say that. Just because you get the vaccine doesn’t mean you’re not going to get the virus. It just gives you that defense to help it be a milder case.”

Madison County, Region 4 hospital figures

Since last reporting data for Madison County on Jan. 12, the latest figures show an increase of 5,010 cases and 19 new deaths from the past week.

Overall, as of Wednesday, Madison County had reported 62,164 cases and 684 deaths since the pandemic began.

Also, the Madison County Health Department on Wednesday reported 121 patients hospitalized and 12 people on ventilators. The hospitalization numbers dropped from 125 since the BND last reported Madison County’s data Jan. 12, while the number of people on ventilators decreased from 13.

The health department recently announced on its Facebook page it will provide data updates Mondays-Fridays moving forward.

St. Clair County and Madison County are part of what the Illinois Department of Public Health classifies as Region 4, which also includes Bond, Clinton, Monroe, Randolph, and Washington counties.

Regionally, the number of patients hospitalized dropped slightly from 285 last week to 282 this week, county officials reported Wednesday, with the number of people on a ventilator dropping from 19 to 15.

Where to get vaccinated in St. Clair County

The St. Clair County Health Department’s location at 330 W. Main St. remains open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays for vaccinations.

All three vaccines — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna — are offered every day there for anyone 12 and older. Appointments are recommended but not required. Flu vaccines also are now available at this location. People can schedule an appointment at www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department or by phone at 618-233-7703.

Additionally, the health department is offering Pfizer vaccine clinics for children age 5-11 at the department headquarters, 19 Public Square, Belleville.

The clinics take place in the evenings Monday-Wednesday and some select Saturdays, Blandford noted. People should call 618-825-4447 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday to make an appointment or visit https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department to register. Appointments are required.

Various pediatric physician offices, Walgreens and CVS are offering the shots for young people, health officials said recently.

Additionally, people can get tested or vaccinated at the St. Clair Square site. Previously open four days a week, the site now will be open six days a week — from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Blandford recently noted vaccine for people 12 and older is only offered Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and all three — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are available. However, the site does not provide vaccine for the 5-11 age group.