S7HD COVID-19 Risk Levels Update – All 7 Counties At Orange Warning Level; ICU Bed Shortage Is Critical

Southern Seven Health Department (S7HD) reports the Illinois Department of Public Health announced on September 24th that all S7HD counties will remain at an Orange Warning Level status on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) risk metrics. Hardin County moved to a stable status last week and was taken out of the Orange Warning level but has since returned this week. The amount of New Cases Per 100,000 people, Test Positivity Percentage metrics, and falling ICU bed availability at area hospitals are causing the elevated risk levels. According to Illinois Department of Public Health, an orange designation indicates warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the community. Residents are asked to remain vigilant to slow spread of the virus.

A warning for New Case Rate indicates the rate is greater than 50 cases per 100,000 people. A warning for Test Positivity indicates that the percentage was above 8% from the previous 7 day period. A warning for ICU Availability shows the number of ICU beds has dropped below a 20% availability threshold.

New Cases per 100,000 People Rate is a unit of measure calculated as a rate to compare the number of cases in large and small counties. The rate is calculated by dividing the county case count for 7 days by county population x 100,000. This describes the potential number of people who are currently ill and may be infectious in the county.

◘Alexander County had 380 potential new cases (based on 23 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 6.8% out of 103 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

◘Hardin County had 281 potential new cases (based on 11 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 7.0% out of 157 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

◘Johnson County had 409 potential new cases (based on 51 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 4.6% out of 1141 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%.

◘Massac County had 561 potential new cases (based on 79 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 13.5% out of 510 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

◘Pope County had 522 potential new cases (based on 22 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 10.9% out of 138 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

◘Pulaski County had 238 potential new cases (based on 13 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 5.9% out of 187 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

◘Union County had 243 potential new cases (based on 41 positive cases) per 100,000 reported. The test positivity percentage for the county was 4.7% out of 844 tests. ICU availability was 0.6%

Eight different indicators are used to determine a county’s designation. A county is considered at the orange ‘Warning’ level when at least two of the main indicators are going in the wrong direction. Individuals, families, and community groups should use this information to help inform their choices about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. To view the IDPH county-level risk map, visit the County Level Covid-19 Risk Metrics website.

“This week’s report shows that 5 out of our 7 counties have test positivity percentages that are declining for the first time in several weeks,” said Nathan Ryder, COVID-19 Community Outreach Coordinator for S7HD. “That means there are more COVID tests coming back negative than positive right now and that’s a good thing. However, we’re still struggling with the number of new cases we’re seeing in conjunction with the fact that we have less than 1% of ICU beds in the S7 region available. That equates to about two available ICU beds for our population of 60,000+ residents.”

S7HD has been urging southern Illinoisans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, especially with the rapid spread of the Delta variant impacting neighboring states. The COVID vaccines are proving to be effective in preventing people from becoming severely ill or requiring hospitalization. It’s also recommended to continue following the COVID-19 mitigation procedures we’re all familiar with to help prevent the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, and keep your distance especially in crowded situations or indoor environments.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced last month that southern Illinois’ Region 5, where all seven of our counties are located, moved to Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois COVID-19 mitigation plan. This move fully reopened businesses across the state without restrictions.

More information on Illinois’ Phase 5 Reopening Plans can be found here: http://dph.illinois.gov/restore

S7HD continues to work with businesses and many other facets of the community to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. For the latest information on COVID-19 cases in the region or to find out how to get vaccinated against COVID-19, please visit: https://www.southern7.org   or  call their office at: (618) 634-2297