For the second week in a row, large declines of new COVID-19 cases have been reported across most of South Central Illinois.
In Marion County, there was a 47-percent decline in cases from the prior week with just 307 new cases reported. That brings the county’s positivity rate down to 825 per 100,000 people. New hospitalizations remained high, with 36 reported.
The only county to buck the trend of fewer cases was Jefferson County, which saw a 7-percent increase to 619 cases. That is a positivity rate in the county of 1,642 per 100,000 people. There were 18 new hospitalizations.
Clinton County saw 214 new cases, a drop of 49-percent from the prior week. The positivity rate fell to 570 per 100,000. There were no new hospitalizations.
Washington County saw a 39-percent decline in cases to 85. The county’s positivity rate has dropped to 612 per 100,000. There was one new hospitalization.
Fayette County also had a 39-percent decline in cases to 214. The rate of positivity is 1,003 per 100,000. There were four new hospitalizations.
Clay County saw a 58-percent drop in cases to 132. The positivity rate was 1,001 per 100,000 people. Three new hospitalizations were reported.
Wayne County had 179 new cases, a drop of 56-percent. The county’s positivity rate is 1,104 per 100,000. There were ten new hospitalizations.
All area counties and the state as a whole remain in the high category for infection. To drop to the next lowest number requires the cases per 100,000 population to drop below 100.
