The Marion County Health Department is reporting 21 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend through Wednesday.
Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow says 16 of the cases are considered community spread and five were the results of household or close contacts. Ages of those testing positive range from a male infant under four weeks old to a male in his 60s. Four of the cases involved school-age children who are currently not in school. None of the cases are in long-term care facilities. One of those testing positive was fully vaccinated. All are in isolation.
Mallow reports there are now 34 active cases, including six in the hospital one of which is on a ventilator. There were 33 others who were released from isolation over the five-day period.
Mallow says there was no outbreak reported among the positive cases.
Marion County’s seven-day positivity rate has increased to 6.3-percent. The entire Southern Illinois region is at 7.6-percent and has now been below the 20-percent threshold for available ICU beds for five days. The statewide positivity rate for the past seven days is 2.7 percent.
State health officials say 11,787 Marion County residents, or 31.33-percent of the population over 12, are now fully vaccinated. That compares to the statewide average of 55.7-percent.
