The Marion County Health Department is saddened to announce the death of a man in his 80s who was positive for COVID-19 at the time of his death.
In the weekly COVID update, Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow said the man was not a long-term resident, was vaccinated but not up to date, and was hospitalized at the time of his death.
The death brings the total during the pandemic to 219.
Mallow reports six Marion County congregate care facilities are in outbreak status. One facility has 37 positives, another 23, and a third 11. Two facilities have two positives each and another nine positives.
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported for the week ending Thursday fell dramatically across most of South Central Illinois. All remain at the low transmission level except Fayette which bumped up to the medium level.
In Marion County, there were just 24 new positive cases in the past week, a 41-percent decline. Four new hospitalizations were reported.
In Jefferson County, there were 23 new cases, a 32-percent drop. Two new hospitalizations were reported.
In Clinton County, new cases dropped 50 percent to 25. There were two new hospitalizations.
Washington County had less than ten new cases, a 40-percent drop, along with one new hospitalization.
Even though new cases in Fayette County fell 39 percent to 11, the county returned to the medium transmission level as a result of three new hospitalizations.
Clay County reported 11 new cases, a three-percent decline, and one new hospitalization.
Wayne County had under ten new cases, a 47-percent decline, and one new hospitalization.
Statewide, there were 11,447 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 62 deaths since the last weekly report on September 30th. Only 14 counties remain at the medium transmission level, and none are at the high level.
As of Thursday night, 929 individuals in Illinois were reportedly in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 111 patients were in the ICU and 28 were on ventilators.
