As the Delta variant sweeps across the U.S., COVID-19 protocols continue to be an ever-evolving situation. 

Monroe County has seen 32 new coronavirus cases since Sunday and two new hospitalizations in the past week. The Illinois Department of Public Health listed a new COVID-related death for Monroe County on Wednesday, bringing the overall death toll to 95.  

There are currently 62 active cases in Monroe County, Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner said, and the four total residents hospitalized are all unvaccinated. 

Wagner said Friday that a child under the age of 2 recently went to the emergency room due to COVID-related issues, but he was not sure if this child was admitted into the hospital. On Monday, Columbia EMS responded to Gateway Urgent Care at 11 South for a 22-year-old patient who had pneumonia and recently tested positive for COVID.

With the Delta variant spreading, Wagner strongly encourages those who are going out to get vaccinated. 

“If you’re not vaccinated and you’re leading a somewhat normal life, you’re going to catch this sooner rather than later,” Wagner stressed. 

On Friday, Monroe County was once again placed on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s COVID warning list. For the period from July 18-24, Monroe County had a seven-day test positivity rate of 13.5 percent. That is much higher than the target rate of 8 percent.

Masks not just for the unvaccinated 

Last week, the CDC announced that masks should be worn indoors by all individuals – regardless of vaccination status – in locations with substantial and high transmission. Just a few weeks ago, the CDC specified only those who are not fully vaccinated should wear masks. 

According to Capitol News Illinois, areas of substantial transmission are those that have 50-99 new cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period. If an area exceeds these figures, they are considered an area of “high transmission.” 

If an area has 10 percent or greater “positive nucleic acid amplification tests” in the past seven days, which Monroe County Health Department Administrator John Wagner clarified is the positivity rate from the seven-day rolling average, it may also be considered a “high transmission area.” 

“If the values for each of these two metrics differ (e.g., one indicates moderate and the other low), then the higher of the two should be used for decision-making,” a July 27 CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report noted. 

As of press time, the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker shows Monroe County as having “high community transmission.” 

Wagner said this is due to both factors, although he noted the county’s positivity rate may be skewed due to many getting tested outside the county and their results not being sent to the local health department in a timely manner.

“The problem with our positivity rate here is we know we have a lot more people being tested that we’re not getting results from (because they were tested) across the river, so our positivity rate is skewed,” Wagner said. “But, we would qualify either way into the red.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health released a statement last Tuesday notifying the public it is “fully adopting” these CDC guidelines. Wagner said it is important to note this does not mean the IDPH is reinstating its former mask mandate, as the language in both guidelines said masks are strongly recommended, not reqiored. 

In turn, Wagner said the Monroe County Health Department suggests everybody in the community, including local businesses, follow these new guidelines. He said some businesses contacted the health department with concerns over the new guidance. 

“As of right now, my guidance to them is to post their doors with the CDC wording, (that) ‘We are abiding by CDC guidelines and IDPH guidelines. Masks are recommended for indoors,’ and that’s what some of these businesses are going to be posting,” Wagner told the Republic-Times last week. 

Illinois ramps up precautions 

On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced face coverings are required in all state facilities – both for those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not.

“Given that the majority of the state is experiencing substantial or high COVID-19 transmission as measured by the CDC, all State of Illinois facilities will require face coverings – regardless of vaccination status – in line with the CDC’s current best guidance for ending this pandemic,” Pritzker said in a press release. 

State employees must wear face coverings when working indoors, unless they are in their personal residence, and maintain a distance from others of at least six feet. The regulations note there are certain medical conditions that may prevent one from wearing a mask. 

All visitors over the age of 2 must adhere to these requirements as well. 

One day before Thursday’s decision, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said face masks must be worn at all driver’s license facilities in the state, including the Waterloo location. 

School uncertainties 

Update: With the Delta variant ramping up across Illinois and the need for in-person instruction being recognized by health departments across the state, Gov. JB Pritzker announced today masks will be required in all P-12 schools while indoors. Click here for the full article on Wednesday’s announcement and what it means for schools.

In keeping with its recent recommendation, the CDC announced all teachers, staff, students and school visitors should wear masks while inside school buildings. The recommendation does not differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. 

Prior to last week’s recommendation, schools were told by the CDC they should recommend unvaccinated individuals wear masks indoors. 

Both Columbia and Waterloo school districts considered this guidance when forming their masking policies, but now as guidance has changed, a new dimension has been added to their policy discussions. 

On Monday, Waterloo Superintendent Brian Charron said the district will be discussing what – if any – changes they may make to their current policy in response to recent CDC guidance. 

“We are going to have to re-evaluate our current stance in light of new CDC recommendations,” Charron said. 

As of press time, this “current stance” is that Waterloo is not issuing a mask mandate for the start of school but would “strongly recommend” unvaccinated students wear face coverings. Charron repeatedly stressed the school district, in conjunction with the health department, may enforce additional regulations if needed. This was announced in early July after the CDC recommended schools strongly encourage unvaccinated individuals in their buildings to wear masks.

Columbia Superintendent Chris Grode said his school district plans on starting the school year with a “mask optional” policy for both vaccinated and unvaccinated students. However, the school district is strongly recommending that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors per the new CDC guidelines.

As of press time, Grode said Columbia does not plan to institute a formal mask mandate for the return to school. He also noted the school district will continue working with the health department in case the need for additional mitigations arises. 

David Gregson, Immaculate Conception School’s principal, said while they have not yet determined specific COVID-19 protocol, they will be following the guidance of IDPH and the Belleville Diocese. 

Valmeyer School District’s Superintendent Eric Frankford could not be reached for comment on the matter as of press time. 

As of the day before the CDC announced its new school mask recommendations, the Collinsville, Triad and Harmony-Emge school districts planned to recommend masks and require them in certain situations, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. 

Definition of close contact sees slight change 

The IDPH’s “COVID-19 School Guidance FAQs” web page said the CDC recently updated its close contact definition. This definition determines who needs to quarantine if exposed to an infected individual.

“Classroom students who were within 3-6 feet of the infected student are not treated as close contacts as long as both students were engaged in consistent and correct use of well-fitting masks and other K-12 prevention strategies (such as universal and correct mask use, physical distancing, increased ventilation) were in place in the K-12 setting,” the website said. 

The previous close contact definition specified “an individual not fully vaccinated … who was within six feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.” 

The Republic-Times will continue to provide more COVID-19 updates as new information arises.