Randolph County up to 55 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday
The Randolph County Health Department said Saturday there are now 55 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 here.
Of that total, three people are hospitalized and another 16 are recovering under quarantine at home, said Health Department Administrator Angela Oathout in her daily statement. The county has had one COVID-19 death - Don Welge, president of Gilster Mary-Lee Corp. in Chester - and 35 people have recovered and have resumed normal activity.
"We are making progress but, we are far from being out of the woods and we ask that you please continue to follow our recommendations," Oathout said in her statement.
"Wear a mask in community settings, avoid group gatherings as much as possible, and practice social distancing by using the 6-foot rule, practice good hand hygiene by using soap and water, use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available, avoid non-essential trips and stay home."
Randolph has the most cases in rural southern Illinois counties. St. Clair County, near St. Louis, had 271 cases and 18 deaths as of Saturday. Monroe County had 53 cases and seven deaths, and Jackson County's count rose Saturday to 42 cases and four deaths.
For privacy reasons, Randolph health officials are not identifying the patients by gender or age, but they are offering the ZIP codes of where those cases reside: 62233 (Chester); 62277 (Prairie du Rocher); 62278 (Red Bud); 62286 (Sparta); 62288 (Steeleville) and 62297 (Walsh).
"I understand that people have to go to the grocery store and to the gas station but (that) should not be a place to socialize and catch up," Oathout said. "Individuals become close contacts of those infected when they interact for a period of 10 minutes or longer and closer than 6 feet."
Besides Jackson and Randolph counties, 31 cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Jefferson County, 14 in Williamson County, nine in Pulaski County, seven in Washington County, five in Franklin and Union counties, three in Massac and Saline counties, two each in Alexander, Johnson and Gallatin counties and one in Perry County.
Public health officials are investigating these cases, speaking with patients about who they may have come in contact with before the diagnosis. Public health officials may place other individuals on home quarantine if they are determined to have had significant exposure.
Such individuals may not be symptomatic, but are quarantined for a period of time which allows symptoms to develop and pass, without posing risk to others.
If you are contacted by public health officials, you are asked to respond promptly, as health officials expect more southern Illinois cases to be confirmed in coming weeks.
The number of cases can be reduced by adhering to the governor's stay at home order, washing hands frequently, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, and maintaining space from others in public.
COVID-19 shares many symptoms with more common respiratory diseases. If you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for further guidance.
Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) has established a 24-hour COVID-19 hotline at (844) 988-7800. Clinicians will answer questions, assess each caller and advise on next steps for evaluation or potential testing.