The number of new COVID-19 cases in southern Illinois grew by nearly 2,000 this week, a nearly 20% jump in new cases week-over-week.
In addition to the continued spike in new infections, 14 people across the WSIU listening area died of complications connected to the virus. More than 1,200 people in our area have died since the pandemic began.
Regional positivity rates either held steady or climbed - though the rate of growth is slowing. Region Four, which includes Randolph County and the Metro East, is up to 10.4% positivity - an increase of nearly a full percentage point. Region Five, which covers southern Illinois, dipped from 9% to 8.9%. And Region Six, which covers east-central Illinois, jumped from 5.2% to 6.6%.
Health department leaders say the vast majority of new cases - and of hospitalizations and deaths - are among unvaccinated people, and the tests that are sequenced are coming back as the highly contagious Delta variant.
In neighboring states, the number of new cases is also spiking. Missouri saw more that 15,000 new cases this week, while Kentucky added more than 11,000. Indiana had more than 10,000 new cases in the past week. Illinois saw a 16,000 case bump.
