September opens with two COVID deaths, six more cases of virus in Perry County

Two more deaths and six more cases of COVID-19 were reported for Perry County during the first few days of September, according to the Perry County Health Department.

Also, Perry County came off the Illinois Department of Public Health's Health Department "warning" list for the week of Aug. 23-29.

The two deaths - a woman in her 90s and another woman in her 80s - brought the county's coronavirus death toll to 11 as of Sept. 3.

Perry County's total number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases was 304 as of Sept. 3, prior to the holiday weekend. Meanwhile, of the 304, 51 were reported active cases and 242 patients have been released from isolation.

No new numbers are expected from the health department until sometime on Tuesday.

Of the six new cases, one is a boy under 13; a girl under 18; a woman in her 40s; a woman in her 60s; a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s

The Perry County Health Department is currently monitoring this situation along with the Illinois Department of Public Health, both local hospitals in Perry County and local emergency management authorities. The patients are in isolation and working with the Perry County Health Department

If you have any questions, contact the Perry County Health Department at (618) 357-5371.

If you experience symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. Please protect yourself and others by staying home as much as possible.

Continue social distancing of six feet or more, avoid large groups or gatherings of people, wash your hands frequently, and use a cloth face coverings in community settings.

For any additional updates or educational information, visit The Perry County Health Department's Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Perry County was been dropped from the IDPH warning list for the week of Aug. 23-29, the most updated numbers on the state's county risk assessment page.

For that week, the county was still under "warning" for the number of COVID cases determined, at a ratio of 99 per 100,000 tests. The state target is 50 per 100,000.

However, the positivity rate dropped that week to 4.9%, well under the IDPH's 8% threshold.

The number of ICU beds available in Perry County hospitals was at 56.3% that week as well, solidly above the state target of at least 20%.