Monroe County has seen a slight uptick in coronavirus cases of late, with the vast majority of them being unvaccinated residents.

Monroe County had 61 active COVID cases as of Tuesday and four hospitalizations. All four hospitalized residents are unvaccinated.

There were 45 new cases reported locally from Thursday to Tuesday. 

Three of the active cases are among vaccinated residents, Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner said, but the rest are unvaccinated residents.

About 60 vaccines were administered during a Thursday clinic at the health department, Wagner said. 

“It was a pretty good day,” Wagner said of the clinic, adding he is starting to see an increase in school-aged children getting the vaccine.

The next Monroe County Health Department COVID vaccine clinic takes place from 9-11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 5, at its office located at 1315 Jamie Lane, Waterloo. Call 618-340-4819 or 618-612-6404 for an appointment.

Monroe County has 47.20 percent (16,207 residents) of its population vaccinated. 

Randolph County has 37.24 of its population vaccinated. St. Clair County has 41.74 percent of its population vaccinated.

After being put on the state’s COVID watch list for statistics through the week ending July 10, Monroe County was no longer in warning territory per Illinois Department of Public Health stats for the week of July 11-17. 

The county’s seven-day test positivity rate was 6.9 percent during that timeframe. The test positivity rate was 11.4 percent the week prior. 

Monroe County had a 5 percent positivity rate from June 27-July 3 and a 2.7 percent positivity rate for the week ending June 26.

Gov. JB Pritzker said last week he is “closely watching” Illinois counties that border Missouri, which currently has the highest growth of new virus infections in the country. 

“(COVID) is pouring over, unfortunately, across the border into the metro east and Southern Illinois,” Pritzker said. 

Preliminary data from several U.S. states shows that 99.5 percent of COVID-related deaths in the past few months were among people who weren’t vaccinated, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a press conference earlier this month. 

And 97 percent of those currently hospitalized with COVID across the country are unvaccinated, she said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is “fully adopting” updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention masking recommendations announced Tuesday to protect against COVID-19 and the surge of the Delta variant.  

The CDC recommends that everyone, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas with substantial and high transmission. The CDC is also recommending universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. 

According to the CDC, the Delta variant spreads more than twice as easily from one person to another compared to other strains. The Delta variant is causing some vaccine breakthrough infections, but even so, most breakthrough infections are mild and the vaccines are preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.

On Monday, St. Louis and St. Louis County reinstated a mask requirement due to the Delta variant. Masks are now required in indoor public places and on public transportation for people ages 5 and older – including those who are vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that driver services facilities – including the one in Waterloo – will require all employees and customers to wear a mask beginning Aug. 2.