Illinois health department reports 19 COVID deaths as disaster declaration set to expire [Belleville News-Democrat]

Apr. 30—Federal health authorities rated four Illinois counties — Macoupin, Montgomery, Jefferson and Wayne — at medium COVID-19 levels Thursday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated zero counties in the state at a high level for the sixth consecutive week.

The CDC community levels are updated Thursdays and are based on metrics from the past seven days, including new hospital admissions per 100,000 people, average percent of staffed, inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients and new cases per 100,000 people.

People in high community level areas are advised to wear a mask indoors and on public transportation, and the federal agency says people at a higher risk of severe illness should consider precautions in medium-level areas.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 3,963 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths, including one in St. Clair County, for the week ending April 23. The prior week saw 5,278 cases and nine deaths statewide.

Federal, state public health emergencies to end

The U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency and Illinois' statewide disaster declaration are set to end May 11. In an April 28 press release, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said coverage for COVID-19 testing may be affected by the emergencies' expiration.

"Illinois continues to see low COVID-19 case rates across Illinois," Vohra said in the statement. "As only two weeks remain until the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and statewide disaster declaration, it is important for residents to understand how they will be affected.

"The good news is that access to COVID-19 vaccinations and certain treatments, like Paxlovid, will generally not be affected as coverage will transfer from the public health system to more traditional health care coverage," he continued. "However, coverage for COVID-19 testing, especially at-home COVID-19 testing, may change depending on your health insurance provider. Please reach out to your health care provider for your most up-to-date information."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced April 18 a program to provide people who are uninsured with access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The program will work through local health departments and pharmacy chains to provide resources.

COVID-19 in St. Clair County, across Illinois

St. Clair County's weekly case rate declined slightly this week to 23.49 cases per 100,000 people, according to CDC data.

The county saw three people hospitalized per 100,000 residents, and 1.3% of its staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Intensive care unit availability was at 24% in southwestern Illinois as of Thursday night, up from 11% last week, and 92% of the region's ventilators were available. Statewide, 646 ICU beds were available out of 2,871.

Test positivity was at 1.13% in St. Clair County as of April 24, the CDC reported, and the rate of tests performed was up by 37.58% as of April 20.

As of Thursday night, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 475 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, including 49 ICU patients and 14 individuals on ventilators.

Information about vaccination and testing is available online in St. Clair County.

Note: Some CDC data, such as test positivity rates, the number of tests performed and weekly case rate, update on different days. IDPH data and CDC data may not update at the same time, so metrics may vary across agencies.

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