Randolph County has 100 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday

There were 100 active cases of COVID-19 in Randolph County as of Monday, the Randolph County Health Department reported. Forty-seven of those are inmates at Menard Correctional Center in Chester.

Of the 100, one patient is in hospital and 99 are recovering at home. The newest cases from the weekend are four from Sunday and three on Monday.

Altogether, Randolph County has had 811 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those 703 have been released to resume normal activity and eight people have died.

The county has tested 9,816 individuals and 9,005 of them were negative, amounting to an overall 8.2% positivity rate. The Illinois Department of Public Health checks more recent positivity rates, and Randolph County's rate was 12% for the week of Aug. 23-29. The state's target is 8% or less.

That, along with the county's rate of 274 new cases per 100,000 (for Aug. 23-29), and Randolph County finds itself once again listed in "warning" status. The state's target is 50 or fewer per 100,000 tests.

Currently in Randolph County there are confirmed cases in ZIP codes of 62217, 62233, 62237, 62241, 62242, 62259, 62277, 62278, 62286 and 62288.

Health Department Administrator Angela Oathout said the virus in Randolph County is considered at the "community spread" level, and the county is experiencing a steady rise in positive COVID-19 cases.

"Please follow the recommended guidelines, wear a mask any time you are in public and are not able to maintain a distance of 6 feet (or more) between you and others," her news release states. "Stay away from areas where groups of people congregate, refrain from any physical contact and wash your hands frequently."