COVID-19 cases continue to precipitously rise throughout the region, possibly inching close to state mitigation levels.
The Morgan County Health Department announced 21 news cases of the virus over the weekend, bringing the county overall total to 831. The number has been adjusted recently after contact tracing determined found a previously reported case belonged to a different county. 3 of the 21 cases were a part of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at Jacksonville Correctional Facility. To date, there have been 262 inmates and 14 staff test positive for the virus. Currently, there are 80 active cases in Morgan County, with 8 of those being hospitalized. There are currently 121 people placed in quarantine due to close contact with a positive case. Morgan County’s current 7-day positivity rate is at 6.7%.
After naming a COVID-19 exposure event on October 10th at Lindsay’s Tavern in Pittsfield, the Pike County Health Department was notified of 31 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. A total of 265 lab confirmed and 23 probable COVID-19 cases in Pike County residents have been reported to the Pike County Health Department. Of those 111 cases are active, with 11 being hospitalized and 4 deaths reported with 2 of those deaths reported over the weekend. Health Department staff are also working on outbreaks at 2 long term care facilities, a facility for the developmentally disabled, and a school. Environmental Health staff are working on multiple lab confirmed, positive, symptomatic cases at a local food service establishment that has not been named. Pike County’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.3%.
Schuyler County Health officials announced 4 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since last Thursday, including 4 newly recovered cases. Schuyler County has had 80 confirmed cases overall, with 13 currently active, and 1 death to date. Schuyler County’s positivity rate is at 6.5%. The Schuyler County Health Department also announced they are hosting a free COVID-19 clinic in Rushville on Wednesday at Rushville Family Practice.
The Scott County Health Department made an update to their COVID-19 numbers yesterday for the first time since September 30th. Since the last report, Scott County has had 13 more new confirmed cases, with 7 currently active. Scott County’s positivity rate is at 3.2%.
The Greene County Health Department announced 7 new cases confirmed via community spread today and 11 cases over the weekend. Greene County has had 275 lab confirmed and 19 probable cases of COVID-19 overall. They currently have 41 active cases. They have had 17 overall deaths attributed to the virus to date. According to a break down of the date, the majority of cases have been linked to the northern portion of the county. Greene County’s current positivity rate is 4.8.%
The Cass County Health Department reported 4 new cases total of COVID-19 from today and over the weekend. Two cases received over the weekend include a male in his teens and a male in his 60s. Two positives received today include two females in their 20s. Cass County’s overall Covid-19 case count is now at 450. The active case count is at 15, with 83 individuals on quarantine, with one active case hospitalized. Cass County has had 11 overall deaths attributed to the virus to date. Cass County’s current positivity rate is currently 9.1%.
The Brown County Health Department reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 since Saturday during today’s update. One case is a female in her 80s, the other is a man in his 50s. Brown County’s overall COVID-19 case count is now at 98, with 23 cases currently active, and one active case currently hospitalized. Brown County’s positivity rate as of Friday is at 2.9%.
According to the State Journal Register, nearby Sangamon County had one of its most deadly weekends because of the virus. Over three days through today, Sangamon County confirmed five more deaths of people infected with COVID-19 and 206 new positive cases. Four of the people who died were residents of Mill Creek Alzheimer’s Special Care Center, including a man and three women in their 80s. Two women and one of the men died Sunday, while the other woman died today. The facility has had infections of six staff members and 50 residents, including nine who have died. Sangamon County has had 62 deaths overall. Sangamon County has had 3,444 cases overall and has had a 7-day positivity rate of 9.2%.
As of Sunday evening, Macoupin County officials had reported six new cases, raising the county total to 775, with 13 deaths to date. They also reported 25 new cases over the weekend. Macoupin County’s rolling 7-day positivity rate is at 6%.
Governor J.B. Pritzker announced today that due to EMS Region 5’s continued struggle to stay under 8% positivity, they would be implementing localized mitigation strategies starting on Thursday. Region 5 includes Marion, Jefferson, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Jackson, Franklin, Williamson, Saline, Hamilton, White, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Massac, and Pulaski counties. Pritzker also said today that he would resume daily weekday press conferences to provide information and transparency on the state’s pandemic plan to fight COVID-19 in response to increased cases in all 11 EMS regions in the state.
Currently two of the state’s 11 regions have positivity rates above the public health department’s 8% threshold for resurgence mitigations. Region 1, home to Rockford, Dixon and Galena, is currently operating under additional mitigations as the region continues to report a 7-day rolling positivity rate above 8%. Tightened mitigations were implemented on October 3 and the region has continued to see test positivity climb at a consistent pace. Region 8, which includes DuPage and Kane counties in the suburbs of Chicago, have hit 2 days in a row of above 8%, likely becoming the next on the list to see tightened restrictions.
Region 3 which covers the listening area, has had a sharp increase since the beginning of the month. On October 7th, the region was at 5% and pushed up to 7.3% as of Friday. There has also been 4 straight days of hospital admission increases in Region 3. Despite those rising factors, Region 3 was the only region named last week as having a steady positivity rate compared to the rest in the state.
The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 3,113 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 22 additional deaths. The statewide positivity rate currently sits at 5.4%.